Entry No. 59 — the Des Moines file — filed under: hands-on
PepperHarrow Farm
A family-run lavender and cut-flower farm in the Madison County countryside where Jenn O'Neal runs a Botanical Maker's Series. In the perfume workshop you blend three custom fragrances of your own from a curated wall of scent notes inspired by local wildflowers; a separate session puts you behind a copper still distilling your own lavender essential oil. Sessions run on scheduled dates across the summer and fall growing season rather than year-round, and pair naturally with cut-your-own bouquet or sourdough classes.
The story
Thirty-five miles southwest of Des Moines, past the covered bridges that draw the standard tourist crowds into Madison County, Jenn and Adam O'Neal run twenty acres of cut flowers and lavender rows at PepperHarrow Farm. On the surface, it looks like a traditional Iowa floral farm. Behind the barn doors, however, it functions more like an apothecary lab.
Instead of simply selling pre-made arrangements, the farm hosts a Botanical Maker's Series focused on tactile plant chemistry. The perfume workshop centers around a curated scent wall stocked with notes inspired by local wildflowers, where you learn to isolate and stack raw components into three distinct custom fragrances. In separate sessions, they fire up a copper still to demonstrate steam extraction, letting you watch harvested lavender condense directly into pure essential oil. It is specific, hands-on craft in a space that treats botanical scent as a technical discipline rather than just a pretty souvenir.
What it's like
When you pull up to the farm just outside downtown Winterset, you'll walk straight into a working 20-acre flower operation. Workshop groups are kept relatively small, seated around tables in the farm building surrounded by scent oils, glass beakers, or the copper distillation apparatus. Because events are tied to the active Midwest growing season, nothing happens here year-round—you have to secure a ticket online well before making the southwest drive out of Des Moines.
The move: Drive out past the covered bridges and spend an afternoon blending three custom perfumes from the farm's wildflower-inspired scent wall, then walk the lavender rows together.
📍 Before you go About a 35-mile drive southwest of downtown; workshops run on set seasonal dates (summer/fall) and sell out, so book ahead. Perfume class around $95.
- 📍 Winterset (Madison County)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1809 S 4th Ave, Winterset, IA 50273
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Clark Tower — Less than a mile away in Winterset City Park, navigate the one-lane gravel road to climb a 25-foot limestone castle tower built in 1926.
- Harmon Tunnel at Pammel State Park — Drive three miles south to pass through Iowa's only vehicle tunnel, hand-chiseled through a solid limestone ridge in 1858.
- Briar Patch Amphitheater — Head 12 miles east toward Bevington to see a hand-dug outdoor amphitheater built into an oak hillside by a local Grateful Dead enthusiast.
Good to know
Where is PepperHarrow Farm located?
The farm is located at 1809 S 4th Ave in Winterset, Iowa, roughly 35 miles (a 35-minute drive) southwest of downtown Des Moines in Madison County.
What happens in the perfume blending workshop?
You spend the session working off a custom wall of scent notes inspired by local wildflowers, blending three personalized bottles of perfume to take home. Tickets run around $95.
Is the farm open every day year-round?
No. PepperHarrow operates seasonally, opening primarily for scheduled workshop dates, class series, and public event dates across the summer and fall growing months.
What other workshops do they host besides perfume?
Depending on the season's schedule, they run copper-still lavender essential oil distillation sessions, cut-your-own bouquet workshops, and sourdough classes.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · exploremadisoncounty.com · traveliowa.com
last checked: 2026-06-23