Tenderloin Farms has opened for its second season for those who love lavender. The farm is about seven miles north of Edwardsville at 6368 St. James Road, less than a quarter-mile south of Illinois 140 about 15 miles east of Alton and 23 miles northwest of Highland. 

EDWARDSVILLE — If you missed out last year, you have another opportunity to lavish and love locally-grown lavender.

Tenderloin Farms, about seven miles north of Edwardsville, has opened for its sophomore season. Through June the farm will welcome guests every Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The farm is at 6368 St. James Road, less than a quarter-mile south of Illinois 140 about 15 miles east of Alton and 23 miles northwest of Highland. 

The Stahlhut Girls — Kim Hansen and Kris Straub — started growing lavender as an experiment. What began as a plot of 80 plants in 2016 has now become more than 1,000 plants, at least 380 of which are in the “U-Pick” area.

Hansen said there are 400 varieties of lavender, which are perennials, a member of the mint family and an herb.

"We had between 3,500 and 4,000 visitors last June," Hansen said. "Some people simply showed up; they didn't make a reservation."

Hansen said the surge last year forced them to modify things on-the-fly, add extra help from neighboring farms and be flexible. 

"We knew we had something special," Straub said. "We didn't know we had something that special and unique."

The women strongly encourage visitors and prospective customers to make reservations ahead of time, so the farm’s staff can plan visits appropriately.

Admission is free to the farm during business hours when using the coupon code FREEVISIT. Visitors should turn into the single-lane rock and gravel driveway on the east side of St. James Drive and continue east about one-quarter mile toward a house. Just before a large tree, the driveway forks. Take the left fork and go around the house. There’s parking in an unpaved lot near a dairy barn and farm shed.

Word quickly spread about the farm last year. This season they have two bus tour groups coming.

There are multiple stops for visitors to make while at the farm: the Lavender Shop, an old granary, a greenhouse, ponds, wildflower beds and — the star of the show — the “U-Pick Lavender Patch.” Some varieties in the U-Pick patch are growing faster than others, thanks to the uneven spring weather.

The Lavender Shop, located in a turn-of-last-century renovated dairy barn, has a variety of lavender-based items for sale, such as candles, bath bombs, bath soaks, chamomile soaps, lotions, infused pillows, honey, oatmeal and much more. A new product this year is Farm in a Jar.

The pond has a new fountain and an aerator, or "bubbler". There are now sun shades in various spots for people to take a shade break, and two utility-task vehicles can help the elderly or those with disabilities easily reach the more distant parts of the farm.

This is a working farm, meaning there are insects, small animals, rocky roads, uneven surfaces, etc. The sisters advise wearing flat shoes as even the U-Pick Lavender patch surface could change during the night due to animal activity, etc. Safety is their primary concern, but tractors and combines may also be present in nearby bean and corn fields located on the farm.

In addition, Tenderloin Farms is now Illinois-certified as a nursery from the agriculture department.

Visitors can check out the farm's website (Chrome or Firefox browsers are supported; Internet Explorer and Safari are not) or visit the farm's Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.