Rural Diaries - live the country life, love the countryside and learn about rural issues

Posted by Sally on September 22nd, 2008 in Country Recipes

One of the things you learn when moving to the countryside is how to use seasonal fruit and vegetables in the kitchen.

Making home made lemonade is something my mother taught me as a child and I thought everyone knew how to do it but when I mentioned it on my dating site forum the other night a number of people asked how to make it.

What I love about home made lemonade is the reduction in sugar over drinks like coke or 7up. The average can of coke like drinks apparently has between 9 and 12 teaspoons of sugar in …. wow it’s amazing we have any teeth left.

Home made lemonade has sugar to taste but as I have a sweet tooth I put 2-3 teaspoons per large glass, that is still a huge reduction on a can of fizzy drink.

I use one large lemon for 2 tall glasses, simply peel the lemon (don’t worry about pips, just throw them in) and put in a blender with 2 glasses of water and start with 2 teaspoons of sugar per glass.

Whizz it in the blender for a minute and then taste test. Add sugar to suit your taste and blend again.

Use a tea strainer to stop the pips and pulp from getting into the glass and add ice if it is a hot day.

It couldn’t be easier to make, is very refreshing and only takes a couple of minutes.

If you want to lose a bit of weight it is a great way to wean yourself off fizzy drinks.