Homemade Lemonade

We don’t drink a lot of pop in our household.  On occasion, I will buy bottled vitamin water, or BOT water (for my son), to take with us when we go places.   For the most part, we drink water, and take it with us wherever we go. 

We have several stainless steel water bottles we fill with water from our Reverse Osmosis unit and place in the refrigerator to chill.  Many times we don’t even bother to chill it.  We have become accustomed to drinking it out of the faucet. The holding tank is underneath our kitchen sink so in the winter the water is colder than it is during the summer.  

The reusable water bottles help save on our trash and recycling.  We can wash them out and reuse them over and over.  Some of them I place in the dishwasher for easier cleaning.  

Sometimes, to break the monotony of drinking water all the time, we will add a slice of lemon to the water to give it a little flavor.  My son likes the lemonade you get at the State Fair.  When he was little we started recreating it at home for him.  It’s much cheaper and tastes the same!

You can make lemonade by the individual glass or pitcher.  If you are making it by the glass you only need a small slice of lemon, ice cubes, water and sugar to taste.  Place a small section of lemon, or rather squeeze it into your glass, add about a tablespoon of sugar (this will vary according to your taste) and fill the glass ¾ full with water and add ice to fill it.  Find a larger glass to place on top of the glass to make a “shaker” and shake to mix until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove the top glass and enjoy!

To make it in a pitcher, which is how I typically make it, I start with one to two lemons per quart of water.  I cut the lemon into approximately ½ inch sections.  

Cut the lemon sections in half.  This makes it easier to squeeze some of the juice into the pitcher.  I squeeze the lemons to release the juice as I place them in the pitcher. I remove any seeds that are in the lemons and dispose of them. 

Add water and the desired amount of sugar to sweeten.  I use organic can sugar.  Depending on the lemons, I use approximately ½ a cup of sugar- give or take. 

Next, I use a potato masher to stir and mash more of the juice out of the lemons.  I taste it to see if it needs more sugar or water, if it is too sweet.  Once I think its sweet enough, I put it in the refrigerator to chill. 

It’s really easy to make your own “Homemade Lemonade”. If you can find organic lemons it will be even better for you.  There are no artificial ingredients, coloring, or corn syrup involved in making your own.  You know that you will be giving your children a more natural alternative to the prepackaged juice and pop most people consume.