Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

There is something about fresh squeezed lemonade that reminds me of an old fashioned picnic, when the picnickers would not have even dreamed of making lemonade from a mix.  And after tasting the real thing, you won't want to either.  Even though citrus is technically a winter season fruit, we have been getting lemons on our tree all year long.  It has been great this summer as we have been enjoying fresh squeezed lemonade in abundance.  My children even had a goal to have a lemonade stand this summer, which they proudly pulled off.  It was a great lesson in learning the value of money for them....with some nice cool lemonade on the side.  If you are using meyer lemons you won't need as much simple syrup as they are a sweeter lemon. You might just have to adjust the sweetener according to the lemon tartness and your sweet tooth.  In order to make this large amount of lemonade I tripled the recipe.  But if you just want one pitcher then stick with the recipe below. Enjoy and stay cool!

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

1 cup sugar (for the simple syrup)

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice
4 cups cold water

             Make the simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely and the mixture has thickened just a bit.

            While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.  Add the juice and 1/2 to 3/4 cup simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes and serve over ice & sliced lemons.  If the lemonade is a too little sweet or for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.  If it isn't sweet enough, add more simple syrup.  Remember the ice will melt and dull the tartness a bit.

Makes 1 pitcher