When Life Gives You Lemons

Today is bring your dog to work day......Kris took Levi to the office and Kita stayed home to help me work

I've wanted to start using these delicious lemons from our backyard for something other than just juicing! Although they liven up any juice or tea.......

Known for it's health benefit for generations, lemon helps to strengthen immunity, cleanse stomach and purify the blood.
Lemon juice is especially useful for people having heart problem, owing to it's high potassium content.
It controls high blood pressure, and helps with respiratory issues and throat infections.
Lemonade also helps you stay calm and cool:)



Other than our loads of lemons we have beautiful roses surrounding the house in full bloom,
so we started brainstorming......


I had wanted to harvest the rose petals to use in teas
but I started thinking they would make a delicious lemonade!

We set out the petals to dry a bit and to let out any inhabitants.....


Tip #1 make sure you grate and squeeze your lemons BEFORE harvesting rose petals...just in case you get pricked! Lemon juice in tiny cuts = mucho pain!

Rose petals infusing in the sun for rose flavored water

      

Break time!
Kita likes the shade from the lemon tree:)








And for extra Rose flavour and health benefits we decided to add Vitamin packed Rosehips to our Lemonade!


For this Rosehip Lemonade recipe you will need:

11/2 cups of fresh lemon juice (7-8 lemons)
5 cups of water
1/3 cup or 6 tblsp of honey
2 tblsp rosehips
3-4 teaspoons of rose water (optional)
*flavor to taste
rose petals for garnish

Combine water, rosehips and honey in a saucepan, heat over med-low heat for 30 minutes to infuse the rosehips.
(At this point you could add whatever flavor you want to your lemonade....just replace the rosehips for green tea, black tea, mint, or a fruit infusion)

Let cool, strain rosehips, then add to pitcher of freshly squeezed lemon juice, add rose water to taste
Serve with rose ice cubes if you are feeling really fancy!

YUM!


I have a lot of other recipes I'm thinking about that use lemons, like:
- Lemon sugar
- Lemon herb pesto
- Lemon echinacea ginger super immune elixer
- Several lemon infused honey's





And I have to use all this zest!!!!

So check back for our ongoing lemon thriller!!!