Reviews for: Schmidt Road Ranch

Second year purchasing bay leaves from Schmidt Rd. Ranch in Sebastopol, CA. Very grateful to Susan Clark who grows them. She is always prompt in answering emails and efficient in expediting orders as arranged. The bay leaves are beautiful! Thank you.

I ordered these toward the end November of 2017 and was greatly impressed with the quality and the quantity . Absolutely beautiful branches of perfect leaves. No blemishes whatsoever ... and more than enough to share with a friend for the holidays for both culinary and decorative uses. It is now past the middle of February and I am drying the remainder. These stayed completely lovely in the refrigerator for over 2 months in an unzipped gallon ziplock bag with another of same (to accommodate the size) placed over it and placed flat in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. By the end of that time, I was ready to dry the remainder. I look forward to ordering again, and would do so if simply for the delight of opening the package.

Very fast shipping, seeds were securely packed in a ziplock bag. Didn't have a chance to plant the seeds yet. Thank you.

Dear Susan, I just received my order. They are all beautiful and smell delightful. I am looking forward to honor them in a Fall Equinox Ceremony. Infinite Blessings!

Could not be more pleased with this product. The leaves arrived quickly tied with a cute ribbon. They are fresh, fragrant and a beautiful green color. Wonderful product!

I bought a St. Johns Wort tincture from your farm and I am very happy with my purchase. I got it as expected in a short amount of time and am very excited to use it on a regular basis. It's a helpful plant and it's prepared just the right way for everyday health uses. Easy and affordable. Thank you!

The bay leaves I ordered for my wedding centerpieces arrived in flawless condition! Susan was a delight to work with. I highly recommend Schmidt Road Ranch products! I am beyond thrilled with the products and service I received. Thank you, Susan! -Michelle

Lovely bay leaf branches arrived from Schmidt Road Ranch very shortly after ordering. Even though they traveled cross country via ground shipping, the branches arrived fresh and healthy and full. I stuck them into a cranberry wire wreath in my kitchen for the holidays and they look adorable.

I have tried this multiple times. My joints will painfully flare up due to autoimmune problems. I can't use NSAIDs like aspirin, motrin. Bay leaf is supposed to be similar but not the same as these drugs. Instructions say to lay saturated paper towel on affected area 20 minutes, or massage directly into skin. To avoid mess, I put a piece of paper towel on a paper plate. Poured a couple tablespoons into a paper cup and drizzled a two inch green wet stripe. Then I lay the stripe on top my shoulder, where the bones meet & hold down gently to contact the skin for 20 minutes. In 10 minutes, the burning pain in my joint is going down. After twenty minutes the paper is almost dry and pain is half. I don't wash it off, and next day there is more improvement. Autoimmune is different from regular arthritis. If I treat one shoulder, both shoulders improve. This is very strong smelling. Doesn't stain skin or my shirts but I would be careful about spills. Everyone is different. It's great for me

most crops are watered with city tap water that has been treated and still contains residues of prescription drugs, industry waste, farm chemical runoff, disinfection chemicals and others. these apples are only watered w/rain water and the water they can reach underground, this is 1 less polluted water source i have to worry about being used to grow the food i eat. no pesticides, artificial or natural fertilizers, or anything else is used on trees. unwaxed. i have asked many specific questions and farm has answered everything in detail. no complaints on taste. other reviewer complaining about bruising is too picky. how horrific that this person doesnt understand small farms doing the right thing cant compete with nation-wide chain supermarkets growing tasteless produce doused w/chemicals (poisoning the laborers), meant to withstand shipping across country (this is why growing them how they should be grown might mean more bruising), and engineered to look perfect under store lights

most crops are watered with city tap water that has been treated and still contains residues of prescription drugs, industry waste, farm chemical runoff, disinfection chemicals and others. these apples are only watered w/rain water and the water they can reach underground, this is 1 less polluted water source i have to worry about being used to grow the food i eat. no pesticides, artificial or natural fertilizers, or anything else is used on trees. unwaxed. i have asked many specific questions and farm has answered everything in detail. no complaints on taste. other reviewer complaining about bruising is too picky. how horrific that this person doesnt understand small farms doing the right thing cant compete with nation-wide chain supermarkets growing tasteless produce doused w/chemicals (poisoning the laborers), meant to withstand shipping across country (this is why growing them how they should be grown might mean more bruising), and engineered to look perfect under store lights

I am very grateful for the opportunity to access freshly picked organic apples when we are out of our glorious apple season here in New England.

I have a valuable lesson to share. You can't mail a lot of apples in a priority mailbox without a lot of bruising. Half of all the organic apples were bruised. After cutting off the bruises and worm holes (which are also a liability of organic apples), I was left with 50% of product. My investment of $48.00 minus shipping ($18.00 for shipping flat rate 13 pounds of apples) left my cost for theapples to be $30.00. The owner was so communicative and understanding. She agreed with my solution, to help me absorb the cost of the lesson. She approved a $15.00 credit to which I will contact local harvest to record. I will happily purchase the organic bag of apples in the local supermarket (now that I know that supermarkets go through a lot of sorting to avoid worm holes & bruises) until we revel in the amazing fall season here in New England.

I ordered these fragrant, flawless bay leaves from Schmidt Road Ranch. My secret mission? To make a bay wreath crown for my daughter, who was graduating from college. She had lived and studied in Rome, where university graduates adorn themselves with laurel crowns to celebrate their achievements. The crowns are not common here, but they should be! I used about half the 100 leaves for the crown (which was classic!) and the others are drying in our pantry for cooking and giving as gifts. I could not have been happier with this purchase. Wish I could post a photo.

Kudos, Schmidt Road Ranch!

I ordered a small amount of bay leaves, and mentioned in an email that I intended to use them for floral arranging. The owners picked the bay leaves specifically for my purchase and went above and beyond in communication - even for my tiny order. Absolutely recommended !

Yesterday I received my bay leaves, I was impressed with the quality and the way it was arranged. Attention to details is everything and you guys have it. Thank you.

WOW! I expected the bay leaves to be nice, but what I got was an entirely new experience! I have grown a few herbs myself, but not bay leaves. Also, I got them in the mail three days after I placed my order and I live on the East Coast! When I took them out of the bag their fragrance took me back to summertime. Then I added ONE LEAF to the risotto I was making for dinner and the entire kitchen smelled spicy and fresh. The flavor was not at all overwhelming, just perfect! You get so many leaves that I am going to have to find lots of things to do with them. And the lovely arrangement makes this perfect for a gift. I am checking out what else they sell right this minute!

Thank you for sending me my second order of bay leaves. Just as fast as the first time. Thank you for this local resource of this wonderful herb. I look forward to sending for my third order when I FINALLY use ALL of the leaves I received

I was making a wreath for Christmas that required bay leaves. I ordered them from Local Harvest. They arrived quickly and packaged very nicely. Very satisfied with my purchase and would definitely order from this website again!

We just received our first order from your farm of bay leaves still on the branch. They are so fresh and look beautiful. We hung them over our kitchen window and the fragrance from them is already evident. Thanks so much for such a great product!

I ordered Bay Leaves last week and I just got them in today. They were packaged nicely and even with a small ribbon. They looked a little different from store bought bay leaves which I recently purchased for digestion. I did rinse for safety safe, but I was pretty sure they didnt use insecticide since the literature says they are a natural insecticide, but that should be natural insect repellent. Man, after washing just one leaf, I tried sucking on one leaf, and never tasted a bay leaf so fresh before. I ready to go buy a tree. Wow.. The flavor was awesome and so fresh. I can still taste it on my tounge after 15 minutes ago. If I dont have a tree next time I go looking for Bay leaves I will definitely go to Schmidt's Road Ranch. I certainly wont buy those dried up leaves in the store anymore.

I loved these bay leaves so much, I had to leave a 2nd 5 star review! I really love how well these California Bay Leaves work in dessert applications. Bay Leaf and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Caramelized Pineapple and Bay Leaf Sorbet... Next I might try David Lebovitz's Bay Leaf Pound Cake. The aroma is sweet, herbal, spicy, intoxicating. What's even better is the source - Schmidt Road Ranch did a beautiful job packaging and charged very reasonably compared to what you will find in a specialty grocery store.

A tip: Learn from my mistake - don't let the leaves stay in the ziploc bag. They became moldy after a week or so. That was my mistake entirely, though. The 2nd time around I tied them to a thumb tack and let them hang to air dry. Even dry, their aroma will not fade. Infuse tea, simple syrup, high proof alcohol, hot milk or cream and be seduced by a new flavor!

I have ordered bay leaves many other places online. only to have the old dried out crumbled california bay delivered to me. I ordered the california bay from Schmidt Road Ranch, 3 days ago. and today I received it!.. I was boggled at how fast they came. I tore open the package and it was EXACTLY how they said it would be. over 100 leaves on their stems!.. beautifully green and soft, fresh....Im a believer Schmidt Road Ranch!. And I will be handing out your address webpage to everyone I know that appreciates good.. no.. excellent pricing and quality merchandise!.. and believe me this is high praise for me. Im the complete opposite of an optimist when it comes to online ordering of herbs! I have you favorited you now on my computer. so look for many more orders from me.

I ordered some chocolate mint starts from Schmidt Road Ranch. Generous amount of starts arrived at my home healthy and well packaged. . I am so excited to plant them . Very fast shipping and great communication. I will highly recommend Schmidt Road Ranch to my friends and family.

Thanks so much Schmidt Road Ranch!

It is exactly what I wanted and was shipped out right away. Thanks!

I got dried John's wort flowers from this farm on 12/22/2013. They look good to me. I am going to make John's wort oil from the flowers and than I'll give the final review. For the look 5 stars!

Beautifully packed and tied with a ribbon. A generous bunch. I have never had fresh bay leaf much less American grown. My chicken soup, and spaghetti recipes came out great. I dry herbs and catnip in the refrigerator, Untie the bundle, and loosely wrap in waxed paper. Put a thin rubber band around the bottom of the bundle to gently hold it together, and lay flat in one of the shelves of the door, open side up. You can stack herb bundles as long as they are not wrapped air tight. It takes a few weeks, but herbs dried that way come out green, crisp. After some weeks drying in the frig, the bay leaves are still flexible. Tear them and they give off their fragrance. I waited to see how they dried before writing this review. I have more than a years supply. I will never buy the imported stuff again. Thanks for the lovely plants..

Order arrived promptly and the fresh branches were tied with a pretty ribbon. Leaves were very fresh and I used them to make a liqeuer. They were wonderful! Susan, thanks for accommodating my special request.

LOVE the bay leaves. It's so nice to receive fresh from the garden.

Thank you!

I ordered dried st. john's wort from another place before and was not happy with the quality. It was mostly just dried green material and so dry it was almost powder. I found Schmidt Road Ranch and decided to try it and see if it's really fresh and mostly flowers. It was much better than I expected and I am in fact coming back to put in another order today (7-10-2013). Thank you Susan for a very high quality product and I'll be ordering from you again many times.

Thank You, Ron

Product NOT as pictured, much smaller yellow flowers, vender did NOT honor replacement offer and required return of product

I ordered fresh bay leaves from Schmidt Road Ranch and I received my package about five days later, considering the low shipping cost. Nice packaging: the bay leaves were on the branch inside of a ziploc bag which was wrapped in brown paper. The aroma of the bay leaves was wonderful! I infused them into an ice cream base the very same day and the taste is fantastic: minty, herbaceous, spicy! Highly recommended! I mean, where else can you find FRESH bay leaves?!

Hi, I ordered 8oz of bay leaves on stems on Oct.19th for my community's Oct.28th celebration. I received them the following Thursday in excellent condition: 4 beautiful bunches each tied up with a golden festive ribbon, and an elegantly handwritten note by Susan. So pretty and impressive! I'm going to dry some leaves up for cooking and the rest will make a beautiful wreath. Thank you so much!

The seed heads are huge, and they arrived quickly. My shipment included a handwritten note and handwritten instructions for planting. It is November, and I can't wait until spring to see them sprout.

Love the bay leaves, they smell wonderful, plenty to make a winter garland and wreath and to use in cooking

Another order received promptly and exactly as I requested. Thank you Susan...for the personal service...it is greatly appreciated. The leaves smell so fragrant and aromatic...just wonderful! Kind regards - Tina

I ordered the 100 bay leaves and was very happy with both the product and service. I ordered on Monday, Susan sent an email confirming, shipped and I had the product by Wed. The leaves were in excellent condition and I received them in a very timely matter so I could use them over the weekend for a recipe for a dinner party.

The quality of the weed was excellent. Exactly what you desire in fresh lace. Free shipping is a nice touch as well. Would certainly recommend this farm to any one.

I was very pleased with the beautiful wreath & the fast service. I will be ordering again for sure.

Cheryl Steckel

I received my order Saturday of 100 fresh picked California bay (laurel) leaves from Schmidt Road Ranch. My order was promptly processed and shipped. When I opened the package, I was very pleased by the lovely fragerance and aroma that filled the air and the presentation of the product as I recieved it (bundled sprigs rubber banded and tied with a yellow ribbon). I'm using the leaves around my house and motor home to repel ants and it appears to be working! Thank you for your personal touch and this quality product. I will be ordering again! Kind regards...Tina

I recieved my custom wreath in record time!! I plan on purchasing again. Definately recommend this ranch to a friend,

I highly recommend anything produced or sold by these people, they are professional and grow high quality products.

Beautiful product..packing and ship time perfect!!! I needed these leaves to design a headdress for the Educator of the Year Ceremony and they are so PERFECT!!! Fresh and on the branch!!! Thanks for being out there for people like me! I will order again....

The wreath shipped quickly, arrived in good condition. Well put together. All-in-all, a very pleasing transaction.

Thank you Susan Clark for the beautifully green, healthy and fragant bay leafs that we received today at St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Coral Gables, FL. Never mind that you're at the other end of the U.S., we still received our leafs in record time.

Our order consists of 400 bay leafs on their banches. We love the way you tied the 4 bunches individually with green ribbon. Beautiful! Success is in the details...We are so very pleased with your product and service.

The Cathedral will order bay leafs from you every year for as long as you can supply them. May your service be everlasting!! Thank you.

Very pleased with the beautiful, fresh branches of bay leaves. We are enjoying them in the kitchen, especially in soups. Great price and the shipping was free.

I bought this product for my boyfriend, and we both love the way it smells. Light, a little herbal, a little lemony, all nice. He liked that it was all natural, and felt that it did a good job cleaning his fine curly locks. The only issue with this item was that it left his hair a little tamped down and greasy looking. He believes it is do to the wax content. I am not sure what ingredient was the cause, but would love it if this product formula could be tweaked a little bit to rise out entirely. I only hope my boyfriends hair results are not caused by the water in his house! Anyways, I was happy with this shop, and hope to be back! Thanks.

We ordered 8 bay leave wreaths for our wedding this last October and they were perfect!! They added a unique touch to our ceremony and reception.

For Christmas my mom used six of the eight wreaths to decorate her house. The other two were given to a friend who helped during the wedding, she also uses them as decoration. They love them! And get comments on them frequently.

The wreaths arrived after being shipped during an unusually hot September. So they arrive looking a bit saggy. But after a couple of days of hanging in a cool garage with regular fine mists of cool water it was amazing how they "revived" themselves.

Schmidt Road Ranch gave excellent customer service when I was debating on whether or not I should go this route and after they arrived. I would definitely order from them again!

Jennifer

I ordered and received a Bay and Rosemary wreath. It smells wonderful and will use the herbs in cooking. Thanks for your prompt service.

I ordered Queen Anne Lace seed, and live across the country, and I am delighted that the arrived quicker than the post office can get a letter here from next door! Will definitely use Schmidt Road Ranch again :)

My wreaths arrived quickly. They were fresh and quite pretty. There was an issue with my address and I recieved an email from the sender/farm letting me know that the wreaths were going to my house instead of the office. Awesome communication. I will order from this farm again. Thanks!

Gina Lemons

I hardly know where to start. This is the most amazing wreath I have ever seen. Bay leaves with Rosemary; not only does my kitchen smell great, I have already started snipping pieces off to cook with (received it today). I ordered this wreath on a Sunday afternoon and received it that Thursday morning! I was impressed. Going back to order another for my sister.

I won't buy wreaths from anyone else, because this place spoils me with great products, and blows me away with customer service. The excellent price is a bonus! I have never been to the farm, as I live way out in Georgia, and neither does the recipient, my Stepdad, who lives in Iowa. Schmidt Road Ranch does a great job - customer service like it USED to be, back home when I was little. REAL people, very kind, very helpful. Great products: I LOVE their rosemary wreath - Fresh, simple, elegant, beautiful, lush, full, aromatic, WELL CRAFTED.... Wow! Not sure if the other reviewer was a crabapple, or sour competition, but I for one, would be very surprised if the folks at Schmidt Road Ranch didn't provide an excellent product, or make it right. They sure did above and beyond for me, and I don't know them from Adam. That's all I can say!

Anxious for a fragrant Eucalyptus wreath, I ordered this and received a circle of very dead leaves, wrinkled, weak, thin, and poorly made. For my $50 I expected something quite nice. I made several attempts to contact LocalHarvest, and you never reach a real person. They want you to email your problem or contact the farm that sent the product. I called the Schmidt Road Ranch, always getting a recording, and they have never called back. I have received no contact whatsoever.

I have purchased hundreds of items online, but have never received zero response. I would like to return the wreath and get my money back. I would like someone to respond either by phone or email, but no one does. I threw my money away!

I bought a wreath from them, but the USPS literally stomped on it and it arrived at my house in Georgia (billing address - not their fault - some glitch/problem with Local Harvest site) marked "damaged" and open. I called Schmidt Road Ranch that day, and they not only replaced and resent a fresh one that same day, free of charge, but sent it to my Stepdad's address in Iowa (the right place)! They answered my call right away and, addressed my concern and got the wreath there on time (I wanted it there for Memorial Day, for my Mom's grave. As it was the first Memorial Day, it was really an emotional time for us. I was so very happy with the sensitivity and grace of Susan at Schmidt Road Ranch. My Stepdad and I were overwhelmed by the beauty and fragrance of this wonderful wreath. I've never seen anything so beautiful; such a huge value for the price, too. The picture online doesn't do it justice. The wreath was perfect in every way, from every angle. Even the back was beautiful! I wish I'd found them while Mom was alive. She would've been delighted! This place is a GREAT find, and I intend to do business with them again!