Thursday, June 4, 2009

Lavender Lemonade

When life hands you a bowl of lemons, what do you do? We like to make lemonade of course. Then comes the struggle of how to get all of that yumminess out of that golden rind.


I used to use the good old fashioned glass reamer, until my Granny gave me this vintage, super kitchy appliance-The Sunkist Juicit! It is the coolest kitchen appliance in my kitchen now! You simply plug it in, cut your lemon in half, push it down on the fast turning reamer and out comes the juice! We were able to get every last drop of juice possible from those poor little lemons! We had a blast juicing 11 lemons for the following lemonade recipe.


Now on with the yummy lavender lemonade recipe. Here's what you need:

2 1/2 cups water for the simple syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used cane sugar; honey or agar would work just as well)
1/4 cup fresh lavender leaves or 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
2 1/2 cups cold water
2 1/4 cups lemon juice or 10-14 freshly squeezed lemons, depends on the size
1 lime
Fresh lavender flower stems for garnish

To make the lavender syrup:
In a medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups water, 1 cup sugar and the lavender; bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat; cover and let cool. When the liquid is cool, strain into a large pitcher.


The Lavender Lemonade:
Add the simple lavender syrup to the remaining 2 1/2 cups cold water and lemon juice stirring well. Add a couple squeezes of lime juice (to your taste, we added the juice of 1 medium sized lime).
Add ice cubes just before serving. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with fresh lavender stems.


This is such a lovely and refreshing drink. Try it at your child's next lemonade stand, the lavender taste will leave people pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!

36 comments:

Pussnae said...

Love that last picture. Oh how I wish I had a big front porch with a nice swing to enjoy that lemonde on! Thanks for sharing.

renee @ FIMBY said...

This is lovely. And I wanted to say I'm sure everything will work out well for your family. You're together and resilient and like you said you have a wonderful life. I've been thinking about your situation since you wrote that post.. take care.

Jeannette said...

Mjummmy....just reading it makes me thirsty! What a great recipe...have to try that one when it gets warm here.

Crescent Moon said...

My daughters and I used to make this when they were little, but I hadn't thought of it in years. Thanks for the reminder! It is a wonderful recipe.

Erin said...

Your glass of lavender lemonade looks so refreshing! Wish I could taste it through my computer screen ... lol.

Amber said...

You are simply amazing and i want to move in with you. A post i wrote tonight talks of women exactly like yourself, we can all learn so much from you. Love it!
xxx

Alisha said...

that looks soooo delicious! I'm always amazed by the things I see you creating!

momandkiddo said...

This looks so good! But I can't get my lavender plant to flourish!

dongdong said...

Now I read your recipe, I think I need to strain the lavender out (even though they are dried and edible already) as otherwise it gets in the way. ;)

Interestingly enough, I'm the only one who likes lavender in my family. I didn't use to, but I do now.

Patricia said...

My lavender is just starting to grow. When they are ready, I will try youre lemonade!
It looks and sound delicious!!

Joy said...

Elizabeth loves to make lemonade, albeit without a fancy juicer like that. ;) We've never tried lavender though. We'll have to give it a shot!

jane said...

Yum!! if i ever open another restaurant you are going to help me plan the menu... please... you have the greatest ideas! besos-jane

kyndale said...

Hi, thank you for the recipe. We happen to have some lavender in the spice cabinet right now.

I just got your post about your husband's job. I am really sorry to hear that. It's so hard to face the unknown. My husband lost his job January 3rd. But we knew it was coming. Luckily, he was able to find a job within a month. There is a demand for geotechnical engineers evidently. Lucky for us.

But, it was such a blessing. It was really a door opening up for us.

I will be sending good thoughts your way. If you start an etsy shop, I will support you by buying as much as I can. What do you make?

Smiles and Hugs,
kyndale

Anonymous said...

We just harvested our last - gianormous - lemon from our tree! I bet we get 3/4 cups of juice from it!! :-) Love the juicer. Wish I could appreciate lavender in food/drinks. But, I think I have slight allergy, so forego it :-(

Mona said...

Thank you so much for this (lemon) lavender receipe. I'm a big fan of lavender, but this is new to me and have to be tried out. I have lots of organic dried lavender, since I make dolls filled with the flowers :)

MamaWestWind said...

Oh, yum! Lavender is my down fall! I will definitely be making this! Have you checked out my recipe for lavender cake on the blog? You and your gals would love it I bet.

Hey, we could have a virtual lavender party! LOL

B

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

YUM! This sounds so good! I'll be linking.

Lisa said...

Dong dong, yes, strain out the blossoms. My silly girls like the blossoms in the lemonade, but I strained it out, they just sprinkled them into their glasses.

Erin said...

The first thing I'm going to do after we move is make some lemonade, cover our new back porch swing with quilts and throw pillows, and sit with my honey and relax. :)

J's brother and his wife both recently lost their jobs, so we were up late last night talking about the economy.. and I mentioned what you guys are going through and he said he heard about it on the radio yesterday! Wow.

I'm happy that you're trying to keep a positive hopeful attitude by making lemonade. :)

Stacy said...

Love that picture of Fauna and Araina juicing the lemon. The lemonade sounds delicious and refreshing!

Kristen said...

This sounds both refreshing and soothing at the same time. Genius. :)

dawn klinge said...

Your photos of the lemonade, and the process of making it are lovely! I want to try this with the lavender syrup...yum.

Stephanie said...

Beautiful. I've never had it.
I'm coveting your glasses!! :)

Thinking of you and sending lots of Goodness your way.

Steph

Annie said...

Cool juicer!! You're making us thirsty!

sarah said...

A great pleasure to go through your blog. =)

http://cjblufox11.blogspot.com/

And of course, adorable kids! :)

Anet said...

What a great juicer:)
Your photos are just lovely!

A Magical Childhood said...

What a delicious sounding recipe! We'll have to try it ASAP. I just discovered your blog and adore it. Nice to meet you, and I hope your family's new start ends up leading to all sorts of unexpected blessings.

Shady Lady said...

Mmmmm...this looks so yummy and refreshing!

Tara said...

These two flavors compliment each other so well.

The lemonade looks wonderful, it is making my mouth water :0)

Mary said...

Lovely! A wonderful recipe.

Louise said...

Lisa, I am just catching up with your blog and will be thinking of your family and your new start.

Love the lavender lemonade recipe

blessings

MUS said...

mmm i think i like this combination. thanks for sharing!

...last week we made flower ice creams with daisies

Leanne said...

Oh how lovely!! I adore lavender tea too!

sarah in the woods said...

That looks so refreshing!

Geek+Nerd said...

This looks absolutely delicious - thanks for sharing!

Truffula said...

Thanks - I'm drinking a nice, tall glass of lavendar lemonade even as I write this... inspired by your post! Delicious, and another way to enjoy the lavendar I've gotten hooked on this season. :-)