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Lavender Lemonade
Courtesy of my friends Deborah and Steve Nathe, owners of Winding Brook Estate, a 16-acre lavender farm in Eureka, Missouri. This is one of their favorite ways to use farm-fresh (or dried) lavender in the dog days of summer.
Yield: About 6 1/2 refreshing cups
Prep Talk: Either fresh or dried lavender buds will work just fine. Expect some trial and error to adjust the lavender strength to your liking.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- About 2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender buds (Note: I use dried buds from Penzeys Spices. Feel free to adjust the quantity of lavender to taste.)
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1/2 cup strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon slices and fresh lavender sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Method:
1 | Prep the lavender syrup. Combine the sugar, lavender buds, and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade attachment. Process for 30 seconds or so, until the lavender and lemon zest are coarsely chopped.
Herbal Essence
Photo by Susan Jackson
Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium stainless steel saucepan and add 2 cups water. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring as needed to make sure the sugar completely dissolves. Boil about 1 minute; then remove from the heat and let the lavender and lemon zest steep in the syrup about 30 minutes.
2 | Transform the syrup into lemonade. Strain the lavender syrup into a large pitcher. Discard the solids. Stir in the remaining 4 cups water and lemon juice; then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Serve over ice with lemon slices and fresh lavender sprigs, as desired.
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