From Field to Glass: Lavender Lemonade Dreams from Greendale Lavender Company

Jun 20

There’s something unforgettable about the way a culinary experience can capture a moment - like a photograph for the senses. This year, on my birthday, during a cozy dinner with my guy at one of our favourite restaurants, Bravo, I ordered a lavender-infused mocktail that was as beautiful as it was delicious. Delicate, floral, and just a little unexpected - it tasted like a celebration. The kind of refreshment that lingers in your memory long after the last sip.

I was immediately hooked so the very next day I started googling recipes trying to figure out how it was made so I could replicate it at home.

From my recipe searches, it appeared that the key component to my new favourite summer sipper was lavender syrup made with “culinary grade lavender” - something I’d never heard of but was now bound and determined to find. After typing it into the search engine and doing a little research, I learned that culinary grade lavender is vastly different than the species usually found at garden centres for home garden borders and decorative planters and WOW there are a lot of different types of lavender - both culinary and decorative! My head was spinning. After discovering that it was highly unlikely that the little lavender plant blossoming heartily on my patio was culinary grade, I could’ve just ordered a little packet from Amazon (of course) but good Lord - how utterly joyless and pedestrian is that? PLUS - WE SUPPORT LOCAL ‘round here!! So I adjusted my search to “Culinary Lavender Chilliwack” and am I ever glad I did!

Pulling Up to Greendale Lavender Company: A Quiet Welcome

As you turn off the main road and onto the beautifully paved drive that leads to Greendale Lavender Company, a sense of calm washes over you almost instantly. The hum of daily life seems to quiet with every turn of the wheels, replaced by the gentle rustle of a breeze winding its way through the tall conifers - graceful sentinels left behind from the property’s days as a Christmas tree farm. Their soft whispering overhead sets the tone: this is a place that invites you to slow down.

The drive curves gently toward a charming red building at the end - a simple yet elegant structure that stands out like a cheerful exclamation mark against the soft purples and greens of the surrounding fields. It’s part shop, part office, and wholly inviting, as if it has been waiting for you to arrive.

Lining the paths are thoughtfully-planted garden borders, alive with texture and colour - lavender, of course, but also other blooms and herbs that play their own quiet part in the peaceful atmosphere. Just ahead, a fluffy farm cat wanders lazily through the flower beds, pausing to stretch in the sun before disappearing between the plants like it knows every secret this gorgeous place holds.

Everything about Greendale Lavender feels intentional, full of care, and lovingly curated. It’s the kind of place that breathes with the rhythm of the seasons - where time moves slower, and inspiration, somehow, comes more easily.

Meeting Carmen: The Heart Behind the Lavender

Outside the red shop, I am greeted by Carmen, the kind of person who instantly makes you feel at home. Warm, welcoming, and deeply passionate about what she does, she shares the story about how she and her husband bought the property in 1996, trading city life for something slower, more grounded, and (she says frankly) more affordable. What began as a Christmas tree farm morphed into something new around 2020 - a family project, a life built around the land, and eventually, a field of lavender that blooms with as much purpose as beauty.

As their children grew up and life shifted, so did their vision for the farm. Carmen tells me how they transitioned from evergreens to lavender, drawn to its resilience, its versatility, and the joy it brought to their lives and the lives of others. What they’ve created together is nothing short of magical: a working lavender farm producing culinary grade lavender and lavender for essential oils, along with a line of thoughtfully made products that reflect the care and knowledge behind each harvest.

Talking with Carmen is transformational. You quickly realize you’re having a conversation with someone who’s incredibly inspired, passionate, deeply real and honest, and whose light shines brightly. Someone who loves people and understands that inspiration can come in the form of a plant, a scent, a season - and the earnest dedication to nurturing it over time.

She took the time to educate me about the species of culinary lavender that they grow at the farm, specifically two of their star varieties; “Phenomenal” and “Melissa” (did I just hear the Allman Brothers start playing?). She also kindly helped me choose one of their exquisite dried culinary lavenders for my simple syrup and of course I couldn’t help myself but purchase some other goodies from their on-site shop (the handmade hardwood charcuterie board was an absolute no-brainer). She even gave me the grand tour and walked me through her gorgeous rows of growing lavender to clip a few fresh sprigs straight from the field for me to take home. It was an incredibly special gesture - like being entrusted with a little piece of the farm’s story to bring into my own kitchen.

From Field to Glass: Lavender Lemonade Inspired by Greendale Lavender Company

Back home, with Carmen’s hand-clipped lavender in hand and buzzing with inspiration from our invigorating chat, I set to work recreating the drink that had started it all. This lavender lemonade is both refreshing and deeply soothing, with just enough floral lift to make every sip feel luxurious.

Here’s how I made it:

Lavender Lemonade Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

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1 Cup water
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1 Cup fine, granulated sugar
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1 tsp fresh lavender (or 1 TBSP dried culinary lavender)

2 blueberries (I’m serious!)(for that extra-rich purple colour)

1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 4 - 6 lemons)

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4 cans (355mL each) Club Soda
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Ice cubes
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Optional: lemon slices and lavender sprigs for garnish

Instructions:

Make the lavender syrup:

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to simmer. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the lavender and blueberries and let steep for 5-10 minutes, smushing the blueberries with the mixing utensil to release the purple colour (anthocyanins) from their skins. After 10 minutes, remove from heat, strain into a sealable glass jar, and let cool.

Make the lemonade:

Pack 4 glasses full of ice and add 1-2 fluid ounces of the lavender syrup to each glass (if you like it sweeter, add 2 oz., if you like it more tart, stick to 1 oz. each). Add 1/4 of the lemon juice to each glass and top with Club Soda to the brim. Garnish each with a lemon wheel and a sprig of lavender (optional) before serving.

* Make it a cocktail: add a shot or two of your favourite, locally-distilled vodka or gin!

This simple drink holds the essence of that beautiful birthday evening and aromatic rows of lavender I wandered through weeks later. A little sweet, a little tart, and entirely refreshing. Perfect for chill afternoons in the garden or any celebration.

Thank you so much, Carmen, for the wonderful visit, tour, conversation, and lavender. What an extraordinary gift to have been so warmly welcomed into your world for an afternoon <3

To get your own Greendale Lavender Company goodies, you can check out their online shop OR for the full farm experience, book one of their inspiring farm tours and soak up the magic of this exquisite destination with Carmen in-person.