No one will ever accuse Sherri Wood of lacking gumption or audacity.

After years of working in investment banking, she pivoted to the non-profit world, becoming national founder and chair of One Warm Coat, president of the Girl Scouts of Northern California, and board member of St. Anthony Foundation in San Francisco.

Then, at age 64, when most folks would have eased into retirement, the former San Franciscan went full throttle in the other direction. She started a farm. With no farming experience whatsoever.

And that’s how Capay Valley Lavender Farm came to be in rural Capay that has a population of all of 300.

“I had no idea that I would do this,” she told me when I visited last month. “But it’s not in my nature to take it easy. I like challenges.

“Plus,” she quipped, “it helps with my golf game.”

It all started when her husband died, and she decided to look for a weekend house in the country. After a friend suggested the Capay Valley, she came for a visit during the Almond Festival in 2016 and fell in love with the area at first sight.

Wood purchased an acre of neglected land, not realizing it had no electricity. When the neighboring farm wouldn’t allow her to pay to connect to use their electricity pole, Wood bought their property.

After researching what would grow best in this climate, she decided upon lavender.

When tractor sellers turned her down repeatedly (she surmises because she was a woman), she persevered until she found one who would sell to her. When they wouldn’t teach her how to operate it, she went online and studied videos until she learned how to drive one, herself.

Now, age 72, she proudly calls herself a “farmher.”

Five of the 28 acres of her farm are planted with 11,000 lavender plants — Spanish, English, and French varieties, in the colors of blue, purple, and the rare white.

She also planted 2,500 olive trees, and just pressed her first olive oil this past year.

Another 3 acres are devoted to wildlife, in particular, the threatened monarch butterfly.

Even in February, when the plants have been cut down and await new growth and their spring bloom, the scent of lavender is heady in the air everywhere.

Ninety percent of the lavender she grows is distilled into lavender essential oil. Her five stills are each named for a different prominent woman: Amelia (Earhart), Billie Jean (King), Clara (Barton, founder of the Red Cross), Dolly (Parton), and Eleanor (after Roosevelt and Wood’s mother).

The farm’s gift shop sells all manner of products, including lavender soap, lavender honey, lavender candles, and even lavender baking mixes.

In June, when the lavender is in full bloom, Wood offers workshops ($75), where visitors can harvest lavender, then run the still to produce their own lavender oil. It takes one hour to distill 10 pounds of flowers. Everyone goes home with a bottle of essential oil, a bottle of hydrosol (the aromatic water byproduct of the distillation), and a bottle of lavender mist.

Wood also offers informational tours ($15) to learn about the planting, harvesting, and distilling. That experience includes a snack of lavender scones, lavender coffee, and lavender lemonade. On Mother’s Day, there’s a free event where visitors can learn about lavender, stroll the fields, make their own lavender sachet, and enjoy lavender shortbread cookies with lavender coffee.

In 2019, Wood gave up her San Francisco house to move permanently to the farm, where she shares the house she built with her second husband, a software engineer.

Although she has eight employees, she still does a lot of the work, herself, and has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

With a broad smile, she said, “It’s been a wonderful learning experience.”

And it makes for the sweetest smell of success — at any age.

For more places to check out in the area, go to Visit Yolo.

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