So we have way too many lemons and when life deals you lemons … time to make lemonade. In the photo on the left I circled where many lemons have fallen off the tree due to our hot weather spell. I have given away 3 bags of lemons in the last week and still have too many.
So I googled recipes for making lemonade and I was appalled by the fact that they all called for as much sugar as lemon juice. The basic recipe is 1 cup lemon juice (from 4-6 lemons), 1 cup sugar (best to make into syrup via hot water), and 4-6 cups cold water (depending how watered down you like it).
So I decided to try using that blue agave syrup that has been sitting in the cabinet. It was in packets and it took 14 little packets to get enough sweetness! And of course the flavor is a touch different than sugar but I think I like it.
After making the lemonade, you put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Let’s see if I still like it later!
Its OK but sadly not as good as sugar
I am lucky enough to have moved to north coastal San Diego county, so I have prolific lemon and lime trees in my garden, too, right out front where I can share the bounty with neighbors. This last spring a Polish friend was visiting us and couldn’t believe I hadn’t ever made Limoncello. So he proceeded to teach me how. Easy-peasy! Turns out nearly all the Everclear sold at our local BevMo is used to make limoncello by homeowners like me.
Making limoncello also uses a lot of sugar (I’m not a fan of agave syrup because of the extremely high fructose content, often much higher than HFCS), but the concentrated liqueur portions are very small and not a regular indulgence. I like to add a jigger of limoncello to a tall glass of iced sparkling mineral water.
well I just can’t bring myself to use refined sugar so the latest adventure is a neighbor who is making lemon wine with my excess lemons! I will report back in 9+ months how it came out!