Lemonade

 Lemonade

I’ve long embraced the saying, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.”

It’s a perspective. A way of taking something difficult or unexpected and turning it into something good. 

There are many examples in the Bible. For instance, jealousy drove Joseph’s brothers to beat him up, steal his coat, throw him in a pit, then sell him into slavery, but God later used Joseph to save his family from famine. Long story, but if you want the details, read Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Bible is full of such examples, the ultimate being the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus had to die so we can live. 

There are modern day examples of “if that hadn’t happened…I wouldn’t be here.” 

But this blog post isn’t really about those types of events. It’s actually about…well…lemonade.

This is the Pure Lemon Juice,
Lemons, and Nifty Juicer.
Cool, Huh?

When Mike and I moved to our home in Citrus County, we inherited a couple of fruit trees. We’ve enjoyed fresh picked grapefruit at breakfast several mornings. Though we think of them as yellow, grapefruit are generally ripe when they just start to turn a bit yellow… while they are still mostly green. They’ve been a tasty treat for us and a good source of vitamin C.

This week, Mike handed me a lemon. Actually, he carried in a bucket of lemons he picked from our lemon tree. I didn’t have a juicer but found a handy dandy one at the grocery store. 

Fresh squeezed lemonade. There is something fulfilling about harvesting a crop and feeding your family. In my past I’ve grown tomatoes and canned them, picked berries and made jelly. I’ve made pickles out of cucumbers I harvested from a backyard garden. But that was all in the past. 

This week, I squeezed a full jar of lemon juice. Enough to quench the thirst of a large crowd…or two people who happen to love lemonade as well as a refreshing glass of lemonade mixed with tea, known as an Arnold Palmer.

Here’s the recipe I use:

Lemonade:
1) Gently cook one cup of water with one cup of sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

2) Slightly cool the syrupy mixture and add 1-2 cups of lemon juice. (We like about 1½ Cups. You know, lemony but not too tart.) 

3) Stir.

4) Add five (5) more cups of water. Stir and chill. 

Enjoy! And if you have lemon to lemonade life stories…please share!