fresh-picked strawberry and mint lemonade

Now that the weather is warm enough, the height of berry picking season has arrived! This morning, my three little sisters went strawberry picking at a little local farm. They came back with boxes of sweet strawberries, and now it's my turn to think of unique ways to use them (not that just biting into one isn't good enough!). We have new mint growing out on our porch, so I made a delicious, lightly sweet sweet strawberry lemonade, and added mint to create a perfectly refreshing summer drink!

If you find yourself with some irresistible strawberries this summer, try out my method for this lemonade!

To make a pitcher, you will need:

- About a cup of lemon juice (I squeezed my own at home, but you can also buy it premade in the store... at home, you'll need at least six lemons)
- Several handfulls of strawberries (preferably fresh-picked!)
- Two or three stalks of fresh mint
- Sweetener of some kind (I used liquid Stevia to make a healthier lemonade, but you can use any sweetener of your choice: agave nectar, honey, or a simple syrup made from mixing equal parts granulated sugar and hot water)


My method:

If you're opting for fresh juice, cut the lemons in half and then squeeze the juice a bowl. Strain to get the seeds out and pour into your pitcher. Fill the pitcher at least halfway with water, depending on how diluted you like your lemonade!

Rinse and take the tops off the strawberries. You have two options here: you can either blend them in a food processor or blender if you have one for a smoother lemonade, or mash them for a more chunky, fresh texture. Your choice! Either way, put a few mint leaves in with the strawberries when you puree or mash them, to release some of the oils in the mint and make sure you get some fresh mint flavour. Add the strawberry mixture to the pitcher to taste. The strawberries will add a lot of sweetness, so use as much as you want to get the desired strawberry/lemon balance.

Mix with a wooden spoon and sweeten to taste. I used about an teaspoon of Stevia and that was plenty for me. Whatever your method, adding a liquid sweetener will be easier to mix than just sugar, so try simple syrup or agave nectar instead!

Crush the rest of the mint leaves with your fingers and add to the lemonade. I like putting the whole leaves in because they'll continue to steep in the lemonade, and look beautiful when your pour the drink into a glass jar. You can leave them in or scoop them out after a day.

Mix again, and pour over ice. Sit outside in the sun and enjoy a relaxing summer afternoon!!