National Lemonade Day! Homemade Lemonade

Today is National Lemonade Day! And what could be more appropriate that having National Lemonade Day on June 27, I ask you?

To be honest, I'm not crazy about canned lemonade. (Especially now that I have to avoid sugared drinks.)

I do have memories of my parents making juice when we were missionaries in Lebanon (when I was a little girl). I'm not sure if they made lemonade, but I can remember them making orange juice...squeezing the orange juice by hand on one of those little hand juicers. Nothing was more delicious, and I have a feeling the very best lemonade is the kind that's handmade.

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I've never made homemade lemonade, but I found this recipe at AllRecipes.com that looks like it might be wonderful...and couldn't be easier.

Says the author:

"Ah, the taste of summer. This classic lemonade recipe is the one my mom used to make for me when I was little. It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart! When using a clear pitcher, adding a few of the juiced lemon halves makes it look prettier."

Ingredients

6 lemons
1 cup white sugar
6 cups cold water

Directions

Juice the lemons to make 1 cup of juice. To make your labor easier, FIRMLY roll the lemons between your hand and counter top before cutting in half and juicing.

In a gallon pitcher combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice.

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Boil some of the sugar/water first?

This recipe suggests boiling the sugar and some of the water in a pan for two minutes before adding the lemon juice.

Sugar-Free Homemade Lemonade

For those like me that aren't supposed to have too much sugar, here's a lemonade recipe that uses Splenda. Interestingly, it also suggests heating one cup of the water before dissolving the Splenda in it, then adding the lemon juice and the rest of the water. I might try this one.

I also saw a recipe that uses stevia. Google "sugar-free lemonade" and you can take your pick.

Do you have a lemonade recipe that you love? Let me know!

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