Lavender Lemonade

Summer is here and those long, hot days call for cold refreshments. Lavender lemonade is tart and sweet and floral all in one sip.

Lavender is relatively easy to grow and is so lovely along side other herbs in an herb garden. It’s a great bug and deer repellant and I always line the chicken nesting boxes with it for a happy smell. Lavender has many medicinal properties. It can be used to aid digestion, as a pain reliever, and is probably best known for it’s calming affects related to stress or anxiety.

My favorite lavender benefit? It tastes great. If I ever use it in recipes, I only use a little. Lavender is so overpowering that you just want a hint so it doesn’t dominate the other flavors. I love the combination of rich floral notes paired with fruity, tangy lemons for this hot weather treat. If you don’t have access to fresh lavender flowers, you can absolutely use dried. Dried lavender flowers will be more concentrated, so only use 1 tablespoon for this recipe.

For lemonade, always freshly squeeze your lemon juice. Lemon juice in a bottle isn’t the same. (The only time I use bottled lemon juice is for canning recipes … to ensure a consistent level of acidity.)

For this recipe, you should need 6 to 8 lemons to get the right amount of juice. But as with most fruit, the juiciness can vary dramatically from lemon to lemon, so always measure. Simply slice the lemons in half and use your juicer to express all the liquid. Pour the juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp before you measure. (I simply set the strainer up over my measuring cup so as I cut and juice, I can see how much more I need.)

Ingredients

½ cup Fresh Lavender flowers or 1 Tbsp dried
4½ cups Filtered Water, divided
½ cup Raw Honey*
1½ cups Lemon Juice (6-8 Lemons)

Instructions

Place the lavender flowers in a bowl or glass measuring cup. Boil ½ cup of filtered water and then pour hot water over the flowers. Stir in honey until dissolved in the water. Set aside.
Slice lemons and squeeze out the juice. Pour pulpy liquid through a fine mesh strainer when measuring, to remove the seeds and pulp.
Pour lavender honey mixture into the lemon juice through the fine mesh strainer to remove flowers. Stir well.
Pour lemonade mixture into a pitcher and top with cool, filtered water.** Serve with lots of ice and store in the refrigerator.

* Children under the age of 1 should not consume honey. (Yes, you can substitute another sweetener but honey is preferred for its natural medicinal attributes.)

** This recipe results in a lightly refreshing lemonade. If you want a lemonade with a punch, use less water.

What to do with all those lemon peels?

I owe this tip to a good friend of mine … and it’s genius!

If you make your own cleaners (ie. dish soap or all purpose cleaners) don’t throw out the lemon peels. Simply place them in a glass jar and cover them with vinegar. The vinegar will essentially preserve them until you’re ready. (Make sure they’re completely covered with vinegar.)

When you need to make a homemade cleaning solution that calls for vinegar, use the lemon vinegar instead! Strain out the peels first.

I’ve done this for my Dish Soap (a blend of vinegar, Sal Suds, salt, and water) and it works great. So instead of using lemon essential oil for those homemade solutions, make your own with this hack!