Figuratively, things seem to be sailing along fairly smoothly this year for my family, and I am grateful that we haven't had any major obstacles to overcome in recent months. Knock on wood: I certainly don't want any of THOSE kinds of lemons.
What I do wish for, though, are real lemons, in the literal sense of the word. You know, those sunny yellowish globes hanging heavily from everyone's citrus trees... except mine. Everywhere I look, citrus fruit abounds. Even our backyard neighbors (who have one of the most neglected yards on the block) have hundreds of gorgeous tangerines dripping from their tree, mocking me from the other side of the fence.
It's not that I haven't planted any citrus trees. When we moved into our house six years ago we planted a lime tree immediately. Then a scrawny stick of a thing, the plant itself has flourished to more than ten feet tall and almost as wide. It has finally just begun producing limes worthy of sharing with friends and family.
We also planted a "pink lemonade" tree three years ago after the variety was featured in Sunset magazine. Technically a variegated dwarf Eureka lemon tree, it has just barely begun producing fruit. Last year we got two lemons. This year we have four... despite my diligent feeding and watering. I've been told it just takes a while for citrus trees to really start cranking them out. In the meantime, I'm waiting... and not very patiently.
Eureka lemons
Fortunately, a very sweet student just brought me a paper bag brimming with Meyer lemons from her family's tree. As I set the bag down, lemons spilled across my desk like rays of sunshine. I knew immediately what I was going to do with them.
For the past several days it has been in the high seventies and sunny; my kids and I were going to make fresh-squeezed lemonade. Never mind that it was January. It felt like summer. We kicked on our flip flops and pulled out the juicer.
In the past I've tried a lot of different fresh lemonade recipes, and I've always found them to be a little too sweet, a little too sour, or a little too grainy. It annoys me when the sugar doesn't fully dissolve and, rather, settles at the bottom of the pitcher like a fine silt. Searching online, I finally found this recipe, posted at Simply Recipes. The difference is that you cook the sugar and water into a simple syrup first, which you then add to the lemon juice. This extra step gives it a much smoother texture.
This recipe is definitely not low in sugar (or calories), but it sure goes down easy. Squeeze some up today and you will ALMOST begin to believe it's summer!
"A Little Squeeze of Summer" Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup freshly-squeezed Meyer lemon juice
3-4 cups cold water (to dilute)
Directions:
1. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and the first cup of water in a small saucepan on the stove, just until the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside.
2. Use a juicer to extract the juice from 4-6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3. Add the juice and the simple syrup from your small saucepan to a pitcher. Then, add 3-4 cups of cold water, more or less to taste. Refrigerate 30-40 minutes before serving over ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint if you desire.
Kick back in a lounge chair with a tall glass of lemonade and your shades.
Pretend it's mid-June.
Voila! Instant summer.
Serves six.
For the past several days it has been in the high seventies and sunny; my kids and I were going to make fresh-squeezed lemonade. Never mind that it was January. It felt like summer. We kicked on our flip flops and pulled out the juicer.
In the past I've tried a lot of different fresh lemonade recipes, and I've always found them to be a little too sweet, a little too sour, or a little too grainy. It annoys me when the sugar doesn't fully dissolve and, rather, settles at the bottom of the pitcher like a fine silt. Searching online, I finally found this recipe, posted at Simply Recipes. The difference is that you cook the sugar and water into a simple syrup first, which you then add to the lemon juice. This extra step gives it a much smoother texture.
This recipe is definitely not low in sugar (or calories), but it sure goes down easy. Squeeze some up today and you will ALMOST begin to believe it's summer!
"A Little Squeeze of Summer" Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup freshly-squeezed Meyer lemon juice
3-4 cups cold water (to dilute)
Directions:
1. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and the first cup of water in a small saucepan on the stove, just until the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside.
2. Use a juicer to extract the juice from 4-6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3. Add the juice and the simple syrup from your small saucepan to a pitcher. Then, add 3-4 cups of cold water, more or less to taste. Refrigerate 30-40 minutes before serving over ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint if you desire.
Kick back in a lounge chair with a tall glass of lemonade and your shades.
Pretend it's mid-June.
Voila! Instant summer.
Serves six.
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