It was 102 degrees on the day I made this lemonade. Super high humidity. Luckily (or unluckily) I was home sick from work that day, so I only ventured out to water my garden(s), but wow, that was enough. Half an hour outside and I was covered in sweat. Justin got home in the afternoon. “Want me to make you some lemonade?” Sure! Picked a couple handfuls of basil and went to town.
I always buy lemons by the bag now. Who knows when you’ll need some? They last for a while, and I always find an excuse to use them up before they go bad. When watering my garden, I noticed some of the basil leaves were huge. Better pinch those off soon, I thought. Even if just to feed them to the chickens for a snack. But then, lemonade is a much more fun use for basil.
Have you ever used herbs to infuse a recipe? To give it a hint of flavor and a lovely aroma? I don’t have a lot of experience with infusion, aside from making a few mojitos with mint, but it’s fun to use fresh herbs in ways other than cooking. I recently bought infused lavendar strawberry jam. It was pretty amazing.
Make this lemonade on a hot day, do some yard/house work, and then sit back and enjoy.
Serves 2-3
2 lemons, juiced (about 1/2 cup juice and pulp)
3 T raw sugar
1/2 cup hot water
3 cups ice water
10-12 large basil leaves (reserve a few for a garnish)
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Do you do the photography for your site – pretty amazing. I do plan to use this recipe for the block party on the 12th, though if we get some good berries early I am tempted to add them to it. But it's probably way to early for that.
Yes, I do all the photography. Thanks!