Lavender Love

On Saturdays at the Lewiston Farmers’ Market, you can find Kin Loch Farmstead’s most popular item – lavender lemonade. Alex Plante, who has always loved lavender, sees it as a multi-faceted plant. It is a shrub, herb, and flower that looks beautiful in a bouquet, has stressrelieving elements, and can be used in cocktails and frosting for a floral taste. Lavender derives from the Latin word “lavare,” meaning to wash or purify, and is used in cleaning and perfuming agents. From this love, Alex and her husband, Ryan, founded a 45-acre soy farm in Cambria. They built an event barn, planted 2,000 lavender plants, and opened Kin Loch Farmstead in July 2019.

Alex grew up immersed in the restaurant industry. Her family ran several Scottish-Gaelic themed restaurants, which inspired her eventual venture. Alex met her now husband, Ryan, in NYC, where she worked in advertising after studying journalism at SUNY Geneseo. When their daughter was born, they decided to leave Brooklyn for a suburban life in Buffalo. But while on maternity leave, Alex developed a business plan for a barn wedding venue with a lavender farm.

Alex began learning to make cold-pressed lavender soaps, lotions, and candles as a creative hobby, selling them on Etsy. Incorporating lavender into cold-pressed soaps combines the benefits of the plant with the gentle, nourishing qualities of the soap-making process.

Today, Kin Loch Farmstead offers u-pick lavender, weddings, private events, community classes, and lavender products. They also ventured into winemaking, planting Riesling, Niagara, and Cab Franc grapes on their land along the Niagara Wine Trail. The sandy soil is perfect for growing both lavender and grapes. Lavender thrives in well-drained, sandy soil, and adding sand or gravel to soil can improve its structure, ensuring proper air circulation around the roots. The Niagara Wine Trail boasts a perfect blend of these conditions, with a unique microclimate influenced by the proximity to Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, a long, steep slope extending from the Great Lakes region through Wisconsin, formed over millions of years through erosion and sediment deposition. This region produces diverse grape varieties due to moderate temperatures. Kin Loch Farmstead is one of several attractions along the Trail, including historic sites, charming towns, and boutique wineries. Summer on the Niagara Wine Trail, with its picturesque views of rolling hills and Lake Ontario, is the perfect venue for events and festivals that feature a local focus and artisanal flair.

During the off-season, Alex and Ryan research soils and grape varieties and manage the farm’s operations. Alex’s upbringing in a small family business instilled a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which she hopes to pass on to her children, Grace and Will, through their involvement in the farm.

Self Care Sunday

Lavender’s antibacterial and antifungal properties can act as an essential oil to help cleanse the skin and protect against infections

If skin is irritated or sensitive, lavender can reduce inflammation and redness

Lavender can help moisturize the skin, keeping it soft and supple, especially when combined with the nourishing oils and butters in cold-pressed soap

Lotions with lavender are useful for treating minor wounds, burns, and sunburns

The antioxidants in lavender protect the skin from free radicals and environmental damage, which can contribute to premature aging

When used in candles, lavender’s calming and soothing scent reduces stress and anxiety, which makes it a great addition to a bedtime routine

Growing Lavender

Picking lavender can be therapeutic, encouraging mindfulness and connection with nature

It’s a perennial plant rabbits and deer don’t like to eat, and mosquitos don’t like to be around it

Lavender attracts monarch butterflies and bees, making it a great pollinator plant

Lavender is drought-tolerant

In the Kitchen

LAVENDER SIMPLE SYRUP

Mix 2 tablespoons of fresh or dried lavender with 1 cup of sugar. Add 2 cups of boiling water to this mixture and let it sit for 30 minutes. Strain the lavender buds out–you now have a lavender simple syrup!

Lavender simple syrup can be made stronger by allowing your mixture to sit for longer before straining, and/or adding more lavender buds. Lavender simple syrup tastes great in lemonade, cocktails and lattes!

LAVENDER LEMONADE

Mix 2 cups of lavender simple syrup with 1 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add ~3 cups of water (keep tasting until it is to your liking!)

Add more lemon juice if you like a more tart lemonade. Add vodka for a summer cocktail!