This past spring, I had the pleasure of going on a tour of Jordan and Israel in the middle East. I learned so much about the history and cultures of the region while I was there. When I return from a trip abroad I usually try to replicate some sort of food that was new to me. In both Jordan and Israel, I sampled a unique drink that was so refreshing in the desert heat. That drink was mint lemonade. Each region prepared it slightly differently, but the overall cooling effect was the same.
Growing your own mint
Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow. It is perennial, which means you only need to plant it once and it will come back year after year in the same place. Beware though, it is a prolific spreader. It is best to plant it away from other plants, or in a box so it will stay within its borders.
Fresh mint is very perishable once harvested so be sure to only harvest what you plan to use in the day’s recipe. The variety of mint that I am growing has small leaves so I leave it on the stems when blanching for this recipe. Once the leaves are cooled, they can just be plucked off the stems.
Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice 3-4 large lemons
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 24 ounces cold water
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves and stalks
- 2 cups Ice cubes
Instructions
- Squeeze room temperature lemons and remove any seeds from the juice that have made it through the press.
- Mix room temperature lemon juice with sugar until it completely dissolves.
- Add whole mint springs to boiling water for 30 seconds to blanch them. Remove from water and shock them by immersing immediately in a cold water bath to preserve the green color of the leaves.
- Remove fresh mint leaves from their stems and grind in a mini processor with a 1/4 cup of water until the leaves are broken down into tiny pieces.
- Mix the sugar lemon juice in a pitcher with the cold water. Pour 8 oz of the lemonade into a tall glass. Add mint mixture to the glasses and top with ice.
- Mint mixture will slowly sink to the bottom of the glass. Serve immediately with a mint sprig in each glass.
Growing your own Lemons
For those of you who are up for a challenge, you can try to grow your own lemons. In the spring in this area the garden centers sell lemon trees. I have a Myer lemon tree which stays small and can be kept in a large pot. Citrus trees do not like the cold so once the nights start getting chilly my lemon tree moves inside by a window for the winter. It takes several years before the trees bear fruit so patience is needed. After 3 years my lemon tree has a few tiny fruit one it. They start out as green and change to yellow as they ripen. This can take up to 6 months to complete, so hang in there.
Over time the lemon tree will produce more and more fruit each year. Maybe someday I will use my own lemons for the lemonade! Cheers!
