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!