Feast or Famine?

Okay, wasn't sure what to title this one: Feast or Famine, When it Rains it Pours, Rain Rain Go Away. . . .any would work. Most know of the severe drought that Oklahoma has been suffering for several years. Just a couple months ago fires were popping up all over the state, and we even had a fire heading for our property one night at midnight. We didn't wake up when the neighbor called, so he watched it for us.

Well, I'd say that it is officially over. . and over. . . and over. My calculations, per my trusty frog rain gauge, have hit 18 inches and rising in the last month. And rising because after a 5 inch gully washer on Monday, we are now getting another deluge with just a one day break in between. Of course, not everyone saw that one day break. It rained in varying spots in NE OK yesterday too, our area just happened to miss it. I've even put a picture up of our 12 year old playing by what we had been referring to as the dry creek bed. It isn't so dry anymore.

With water still running in the roads from Monday, today's rain promises to be very unhelpful for motorists. After a while, the water just runs off into the lakes and streams and heads to the ocean because the ground just can't take any more, so the excess really doesn't do much good other than to make us all feel ducky. I'm happy for the farmers whose empty ponds have been filled, but I'm concerned that we may end up with all our rain for the year in one month, which will leave us very dry by September. Well, hopefully that isn't what will happen. But for the month of June at least, I think I'll take out the flippers and goggles and enjoy our drought reprieve.

To all those people who have been so thoughtful over the last several years, promising to send water in envelopes and letting us know they would give us their extra rain. . THANKS! But, you can stop sending it now. . . . at least for June.

Ultimate Summer Lemonade

It's that time of year again! The pool is open. The clothesline is cluttered with swimsuits and beach towels. The grass is growing (and here in OK that is a 7 year miracle). The windows are open in an attempt to let as much of the cool air in as possible in the morning, then closed in the afternoon as we try to cheat the power company and keep the air conditioner off for one more day. And grocery store fliers are all about cook-out meats, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon and cantaloupe. Our usually short spring has quickly headed into summer.

With still plenty to do outside and rising temperatures summer drinks become an important thought. We drink plenty of water, but keeping hydrated when working hard is tough and adding excitement to the drink offerings without adding caffeine, cups of sugar and high fructose corn syrup is very important.

We've often used a base to make our summer lemonade though, since organic lemons are expensive and hard to come by. But, that base has never been as healthy as I would like. This past year we made an exciting discovery though - tea. Oh, yes, we've always drunk tea, being originally from the north it has mostly been hot in a cup in varying flavors. I never really could get into cold tea or cold soup.

We wanted lemonade one day and had the lemons, but had no base to add them to to stretch the lemons. A thought occurred to me - what about those lemon teas? I searched the cupboard, full of boxes of varieties and flavors, and found some lemon ginger tea. That sounded like a great option. We have about a 3.5 cup teapot, so that is the amount I brewed up. I let it cool some naturally then poured it into a 2 quart pitcher. Once cooled a bit, but not too cool, I added a couple of tablespoons of raw honey. Then I juiced 2 large lemons, it probably made a half cup of juice.

Of course, not being the cold tea type myself, I tested it on the 12 year old. She's been in OK long enough that cold tea is not odd to her, even orders it in restaurants. I poured the mixture over a glass of ice and it was a HIT. We let her dad try it too, now it is a request for work. He works in the heat, and this makes a nice liquid replacement. The sugar is low, the health benefits high. This makes a rather tart lemonade, so if anyone wants it a bit sweeter, they can add a drop of Stevia to their glass, completely personalizing it by taste without having to add the usual amount of sugar it takes to make lemons sweet.

In Recipe Form:

Two bags lemon flavored tea
2 large or several small lemons, approx 1/2 c juiced, vary by taste
2 Tbsp raw honey
liquid Stevia, to taste per individual glass (one drop is very sweet)

Steep tea bags for 3-5 minutes in boiling hot water. If not using a tea pot, cover while steeping. Let cool slightly then add honey. Pour tea into pitcher when cooled enough. Juice lemons and pour lemon juice into tea mixture. Serve over ice. Individuals can sweeten their lemonade more with a drop of Stevia if too tart. Enjoy!