You can substitute fruit punch, iced tea, or other beverages for the lemonade. Makes 18 servings or about 1 quart. Double or triple the recipe (tripled here for photos) based on the serving container.
Ingredients:
1/8- to 1/4-cup dried lavender blossoms
2 cups boiling water
1 12-ounce can frozen yellow lemonade concentrate
Raspberry purée (strain to remove seeds) (optional)
Steep lavender 10 minutes in boiling water to make lavender water concentrate. Chill.
Strain lavender concentrate. Prepare lemonade according to directions on can, using lavender water for part of the water requirement. Add more water to your taste of tartness and sweetness. Mixture will turn pale pink. Add optional raspberry puree. Serve iced or chilled.
— Recipe courtesy of Brawley and Company from the “Fifth Annual Cooking in the Village” cookbook, Los Ranchos Growers’ Market
Cook’s Note: Experiment with various berry purees for different colors and flavors. By itself, the lavender lemonade will be a pale pink (top left). Adding raspberries will make a pink lemonade (first row and first glass), while blueberry can achieve the perfect lavender color (first row and second glass). If you find blackberries or strawberries at your local farmers’ market or farm stand, try those too.
To make the puree, add one part fruit and one part water to a blender, blend until combined, and strain out the seeds in a mesh strainer. Pour the puree into the lemonade.
Photos by Alison Penn
