Strawberry Lemonade

It's Summer! The roses are in full bloom, we're enjoying strawberries and raspberries from the garden and dinner on the patio. We try to make the most of these glorious days here on Vancouver Island because they never linger.

Not a full table setting, but I do love to make the patio table pretty. A few hydrangeas in an earthy jug and a cloth table covering and napkins make our patio seem like an outdoor dining room.

One of my favourite things to make in the summertime is strawberry lemonade. This is a concentrate and I freeze it for later. It's easy to do and tastes very refreshing.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

6 cups strawberries, hulled
4 cups fresh lemon juice
6 cups granulated sugar

Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. I add a little of the lemon juice, if necessary to create some liquid at the beginning.
Place the puree and the sugar in a stainless steel saucepan and gently heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. You don't want to cook the strawberries, just dissolve the sugar.

Once dissolved, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

That's it! Mix about 1 part concentrate to 1 part water. Or use gingerale, tonic water, or sparkling water. Or even chilled white or rosé wine.

For wonderful tablesetting ideas visit Between Naps on the Porch, hosted by Susan.