Strawberry Lemonade

Makes about 1 gallon

10 lemons
1 lb strawberries
1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar
1 cup water
+ additional water and ice

Directions:

Wash and slice strawberries, slicing the leaves and stems off the top. Place in a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes until pureed. Slice 8 lemons in half and juice them; you can squeeze the juice out using your hands or a citrus juicer. You will get about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice. Place sugar and 1 cup of water in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and water is clear again. (You can do this on the stovetop if you prefer.) Whisk to dissolve any remaining particles. This will be your simple syrup. Pour strawberry puree through a mesh strainer into a 1 gallon pitcher, pressing with a spoon to get all the puree through--I also pour cups of water through towards the end when it gets thick and stubborn. Rinse the strainer and pour the lemon juice through it into the pitcher, again pressing with a spoon to get all the juice through. Pour simple syrup into the pitcher and stir well to combine. Add cold water and ice as needed to reach the top. Slice remaining 2 lemons and stir slices into the lemonade. Serve over ice. 



It's summertime!!! And that means lot of sweet tea and lemonade here in the south. This is one of our very favorite drinks and it really doesn't get any better than homemade strawberry lemonade straight from the strawberry patch and lemon tree. Of course running on down to Publix to pick up some strawberries and lemons is just fine too, which is what we did today. There's not much that's more refreshing that a tall, icy glass of homemade strawberry lemonade. And soon I'll be sipping mine from the new wood deck in my backyard that my husband is working on right this very minute. Can't wait! This is so easy and quick to put together! There's no reason to buy that expensive storebought stuff anymore when it's so cost-effective and easy to make your own, not to mention it's healthier too! I LOVE this, it's pretty and delicious, making this Southern girl one happy mama! Smiling faces are coming in right now from helping daddy in the yard to fill up their glasses with this treat. If you like yours more tart, juice another couple lemons and stir it in. Likewise if you prefer it sweeter, add another 1/2 cup of sugar to your water before boiling it into a simple syrup. Drink up!