In the southeastern corner of Oregon’s Rogue Valley sits a picturesque farm called Ebb & Flow. With roots in permaculture and medicinal Cannabis cultivation stretching back over a decade and a half, co-owners Amy Parscal and Lisa Denney have set the bar for sun-grown flower in the state since 2015.
In 2016, Parscal and Denney moved to their current location, formerly a horse ranch, and converted the land to a 10,000-square-foot grow space. Over the last 10 years, Ebb & Flow has expanded to a sizable 80,000-square-foot outdoor garden with three fields and a handful of greenhouses.
Cultivation practices here are regenerative and fully organic, utilizing the natural sun to produce some of the cleanest Cannabis possible.
“We build our soil with composts, using soil testing to remineralize at the right ratios and provide everything as a baseline support for plants to thrive,” Parscal said.
By dialing in optimized recipes for what each strain needs at different stages of development, the Ebb & Flow team can continually increase the inherent potential and quality of their cultivars. The climate around the garden also contributes significantly to the terroir of each plant grown here.
“We’re on the sunny side of the valley,” Cameron Pankratz, farm manager, said. “We have nice dry conditions and lots of wind that creates robustness and sturdiness in plants.”
Ebb & Flow possesses a substantial stable of about 100 different strains, including some Oregon Leaf Bowl award-winning cultivars. Their Ice Cream Cake x Runtz, Animal Sherb Mints and Quantum Fields all placed in this year’s competition — an impressive feat that highlights the overall consistency in their roster.
There are so many selections worth talking about, but for this Harvest Issue, we’ll detail just a few farm favorites:
- Quantum Fields #21 is a cross of Quantum Kush and Wedding Cake. An in-house varietal complete with gorgeous green buds and a sweetened pinewood and fruit profile, this flower has bright notes reminiscent of bubble gum and strawberries.
- Another standout, Member Berries (Skunkberry x Mandarin Sunset), bred by Ethos Genetics, is a vigorous plant characterized by baseball-bat-sized colas with bright lime green buds. The flower has a succulent grape and berry smell similar to Welch’s grape juice mixed with fresh blueberries. It’s a scent that leaves the mouth watering for a taste.
- Sun Lounger, a cross of P85 and Huckleberry by Annunaki Genetics, is a cultivar remarkable for some of the starkest, purplest buds in the entire lineup. Composed of a citrus orange expression with hints of chocolate and mixed berries, it’s a distinct and fragrant scent. Per Christian Sanford, sales manager for the farm, the strain “sells out quickly in stores and keeps customers coming back for more.”
Some other standout selections from the visit include Sour Papaya, Orange Dog Wash, Stargate, J1, Saffron, Peach Marshmallow, Sherbanger and even Blue Dream. Of particular note, a large portion of Ebb & Flow’s genetic library is made up of in-house cultivars bred on site by Denney.
“I’m definitely looking for terpenes, No. 1,” Denney said. “I try to bring out certain features and combine profiles for more diversity.”
Denney started breeding Cannabis for Ebb & Flow more deliberately around six years ago, and she has worked through an astronomical amount of strains and phenotypes since then.
“We test things in all the different environments, so we’ll put some rows of testing genetics in the field, in light dep in the spring and then also full term in a greenhouse,” she said.
There is intention and effort put into breeding for qualities like resilience and phenotypic stability, and the goal is to eventually release clone varieties and feminized seeds to the public.
Another area Ebb & Flow has expanded upon in the last few years is partnering with processors to bring a wider range of products to market. By working with companies like Entourage, Kalya and Nimble, the farm has co-branded an array of rosin, vaporizers and prerolls. This year, 25% of the total crop will be used to make hash rosin, marking a significant portion of their harvest dedicated to collaborations. With outdoor space and a number of greenhouse beds dedicated specifically to growing flower for fresh frozen inputs, the crew is hoping to produce some of the best extracts possible.
So how does a farm with only nine employees — including seasonal and part-time workers — do so much so effectively?
“We don’t compromise on quality,” Parscal said. “We’ve built an amazing team who share the same values and ethics. Lots of gratitude for each of them and what they contribute to our business. We couldn’t do it without them.”
Ebb & Flow
Location: Ashland
Signature Strains: Quantum Fields #21, Cheese Danish, Fonduzi
Farm Size: 65,000-80,000 sqft of outdoor garden
Employees: Nine
