Strawberry Lemonade: Light and sweet flavors for a summer evening!

This Strawberry Lemonade is sweet but would be a refreshing drink on a hot summer afternoon. It would go nicely with something light, like a salad.

I brought this drink to a party, so I multiplied the recipe by six (to serve 18). Consequently, I needed a lot of lemon juice (6 cups), so I used the bottled type, which worked out fine.

The grocery store I went to had fresh strawberries, but at this time of year (December), it would have been expensive to buy 6 cups’ worth, so I opted to use frozen organic strawberries instead. Although soft, they worked out perfectly, since they were to be puréed anyway. Plus, I didn’t need to spend time hulling them. Slicing was a breeze. (Just be careful—strawberry juice may stain your kitchen counter, like it did mine.)

I puréed the strawberries in batches in the blender and added the liquid (using a funnel) to a pitcher with a leak-proof lid. Next, I rinsed out the blender, blended the lemon juice and sugar together in it, and then added that mixture to the pitcher as well. I let this sit overnight.

At the party the next day, I gave the container a good shake to mix the ingredients and added half of this mixture plus half of the sparkling water to the punchbowl for starters.

With summer here, having a pitcher of something cold and refreshing is a must. Strawberry lemonade is the perfect choice!

Strawberry Lemonade (found on page 299 of The Garden-Fresh Cookbook)

1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups cold sparkling water

Put the strawberries into a blender or food processor and purée. Add the sugar to the lemon juice and stir to blend. Add the lemon juice and sparkling water to the puréed berries. Stir or process for a few seconds to blend, then pour into ice-filled glasses.

Makes 3 servings.

Lemon Tip:
To nearly double the amount of juice collected from a lemon, submerge it in hot water for 15 minutes before squeezing. Or, microwave the uncut fruit on high for 20 seconds, then roll it on the counter under the palm of your hand. Cut in half and press it on a handheld wooden lemon reamer or a glass juicer.