Honey Lemonade Recipe

I tend to think of the summer as being split into two portions:

The first half is the everyone-is-excited-to-be-out-of-school-and-going-on-vacation time. People are feeling liberated and eager-with-anticipation to be breaking out the shorts and flip-flops. The grass is soft and green, the heat is gentle, and it feels absolutely magical to be outside after a long winter.

And then there’s the sticky-hot-dreaming-of-snow end of summer where the days are blazing hot, everyone is sticky and sweaty, and the flies persistently dive-bomb your plates (and your face). The grass is brown and crunchy, and you even catch yourself dreaming of those snowy afternoons where you can cuddle up in front of the fire and take a cozy nap…

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say we’ve hit the second stage here at The Prairie Homestead. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not wishing away summer quite yet, but I will admit that I’ve fantasized about crisp Fall mornings once or twice here lately…

Which is why this week was the perfect time to whip up this simple honey lemonade recipe.

(I just-so-happened to have a bunch of limes in my fridge begging to be put to use, so I swapped them out for the lemons this time around. I think I might like homemade limeade even better than lemonade.)

Most homemade lemonade recipes call for cups of white sugar, but I prefer the simplicity of this honey-sweetened version. It’s refreshingly tart but still has a sweet depth of flavor from the raw honey.

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Honey Lemonade Recipe

• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup honey (raw is the best- my favorite place to buy raw honey)
• 5 cups cold water
• Lemon or lime slices — to garnish (optional)

If you are using fresh lemons or limes, be sure to wash them well so any dirt/residue doesn’t end up in your juice.

If you’re lucky, you’ll have a juicer. If you’re unlucky like me, you’ll just have to squeeze those babies by hand…

Mix the lemon juice and honey together in the pitcher until thoroughly combined.

Add the cold water and briskly stir.

Chill and serve over ice. You can garnish with a lemon slice if you’re feeling extra fancy.

Kitchen Notes

• Don’t have fresh lemons? No worries. You can use bottled lemon juice instead–just be sure to pick a quality brand that’s 100% juice, without extra junk.
• Use limes instead of lemons for homemade limeade
• As written, this recipe isn’t super-sugary sweet, but you can add more honey if you need to. Or, add a bit of homemade stevia extract.

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