Fennel Mint Lemonade
I have always loved lemonade but lately have found them to be either too sweet and too tart. So I have experimented with a lot of different recipes to create a lemonade that I think is equal parts delicious summer treat and medicinal. Tis recipe makes one quart jar of lemonade.
Ingredients
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed organic lemon juice - usually around 2-3 lemons
3 tbsp of raw honey.
1/4 cup of strong fennel tea.
4 sprigs of fresh peppermint leaves.
Instructions
Make the fennel tea by adding 1 tbsp of fennel seeds to a quarter cup of boiled water. Let it steep for at least 10 minutes.
While the tea is steeping, add the honey to your quart jar and melt it by pouring a small amount of boiling water over it and stirring gently.
Squeeze the lemons to make 1/3 cup of juice. The key to this step is pulp in, seeds out. The pulp is the magic element that really helps take this lemonade to another level.
Pour the lemon juice and pulp into the quart jar.
Add the peppermint sprigs.
Strain the tea and pour into the jar.
Add water to fill the jar.
Refrigerate until cool.
Notes
Immediately after making the tea, the peppermint and fennel will be barely noticeable. Over time, after maybe 1-2 hours in the fridge the flavors will infuse the lemon water developing a rich deep taste.