Strawberry Lemonade

A few days ago I polled some Facebook friends for ideas of what to do with an excess of strawberries. One of my friends, Robin, suggested strawberry lemonade. In this heat, can there be anything better? Now, you can make this with frozen berries, but fresh is best.

I'm going to tell you the recipe I envisioned, and then the recipe I actually used, to help use up what I had. Both will be tasty, I promise.

First, the all-from-scratch strawberry lemonade:

You will need:
The juice of 6 lemons
water
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
sugar (you can substitute Splenda in this recipe!)

Lemonade is very subjective. Some love it tart, some can't get enough sweet. I err on the side of tart.
Remember, the strawberries will add some sweetness, and again, how much sweetness they bring is dependent on the berry.

Place your hulled berries into a saucepan with 1/3 cup sugar and a few TBS of water. Melt sugar over medium heat, and cook berries down into sugar. When your berries look like melted jam, they are done.

If you want your lemonade to be pulp-free, put a fine meshed strainer over the mouth of your pitcher.

Pour in your lemon juice. Next, pour in your strawberry. If using a strainer, you will want to pour your water over the top of the berries while mashing every last bit of juice out of them!

Add water, stir, and taste. If it is too tart, add more sugar. If it is too sugary, add more water and lemon.



Now, the "cheater" version I made:

I had a whole container of Simply Made Lemonade in my refrigerator. Although I don't think it possible to have too much lemonade, my refrigerator is limited on space, and making more wasn't an option.

You will need:
A gallon of Simply Made Lemonade
A pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced


I should start with saying that I was specific with the lemonade brand for a reason. I don't generally push one brand over another, but this line of juices I feel are closest to homemade. Many manufactured lemonades are overly sweet (I even think this one is a bit sweet... but I eat lemons, so it might just be me), and if you add strawberries to the mix, you will have a sugar headache in no time. If you love overly sweet, go for it. Just don't lose the fact that you should taste lemons!

Cook the strawberries in a sauce pan over medium heat with a several (5ish) tablespoons of lemonade and a tablespoon of sugar. When the strawberries have broken down and the juices are flowing, they are ready.

Like in the above, if you want a pulp-free lemonade, run everything through a strainer. Put the berries in first, then add the lemonade to taste.


Chill and serve. This drink tastes especially delicious on the back porch or at picnics.