Strawberry Lemonade

The fine summer weather persists here, now that the kids are all cramped in their classrooms and focusing on reading and writing instead of resting and relaxing. If you are lucky enough to still be outside enjoying the weather (I am still pretending that the semester does not start tomorrow), pour yourself a tall glass of this wonderful lemonade. My brother made this for our family picnic this summer, and the recipe comes from Fine Cooking magazine.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 7 cups

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

- 2 cups water

- zest of 2 lemons

- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 2 1/2 cups cold water

METHOD

1. Put sugar, berries and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 mins, until berries soften and release their colour. Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and let cool.

2. Strain berry mixture into a pitcher through a fine sieve, pressing the berries with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Add lemon juice and water to the pitcher and mix well. If the lemonade is too strong, add more water.

3. Serve in a tall glass with plenty of ice cubes.