Does anyone else feel like summer is rapidly slipping away? In the morning there’s a bit of a chill in the air. The days are becoming shorter. The nights are chilly… folks, fall is around the corner. And while I love fall, I’m not quite ready to give up frolicking in the sunshine, wearing flip flops and eating all sorts of summer goodness.
In an effort to hold onto summer a bit longer I decided to make one of my favourite summer drinks: lemonade. I’ve been loving lemonade with other flavours like raspberry, mint etc. so I decided to go ahead and jazz things up. In my fridge I happened to have some great Ontario wild blueberries and a peach that I knew would be perfect in the lemonade.
Oddly enough, I realized that I’ve NEVER made lemonade. When I was little we would buy those cans of frozen concentrate. Recently I’ve been buying Santa Cruz Organic lemonade or limeade when I need a fix. I also have a weak spot for the lemonade at Whole Foods but recently it has been really sweet so I’m kind of off that. But really, there is nothing at all difficult about making lemonade.
I decided to start off by making a simple syrup of sugar and water. I hate when I get a cold drink and the sugar hasn’t dissolved. The simple syrup eliminates that and is oh so simple to make. Then I threw the blueberries and chopped peach into my food processor to puree. I mixed my puree with the lemon juice and started adding water and the simple syrup until perfect. I also threw in some chopped mint.
Next time I do this I would do a few things differently. I would definitely strain my puree to avoid the blueberry skin bits. I would also look at infusing my simple syrup with the mint flavour to avoid too many mint leaves in my glass.
Trust me when I say that this lemonade is super refreshing and like having summer in a glass. Also consider adding a bit of gin or other alcohol to the mix as well!
And for all you blueberry lovers in Toronto, head down to Evergreen Brickworks on Saturday, August 20 for the Wild Blueberry Festival. Click here for more information.
Blueberry-Peach Lemonade
I put this recipe together on a lazy Sunday. Use this as a guideline but not a bible.
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 cup blueberries
1 or 2 peaches, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Approx. 4 cups of water
A handful of mint, chopped
Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and the 2/3 cup of water in a saucepan and heating until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a food processor, puree the blueberries and peaches. Put the puree in a pitcher and add in the lemon juice. Add about 3 cups of water and begin to sweeten with the simple syrup. Continue adding water and simple syrup to taste. Stir in the chopped mint and served.
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