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One of the things my wanted to do this summer was make lemonade and have a lemonade stand. So we did! They did most of the work, and got to keep all the profit. ($17)! It was a great little entrepreneurial lesson for my kids.

Decorating the table was my favorite part. You can make the same chalkboard bunting by visiting my tutorial!

For the lemonade, I wanted to try out an old fashioned recipe, using freshly squeezed lemons. Here are a few of my favorite tips (full recipe at the end of the post).

The first tip is to let your kids help! Next, is a little trick I learned from Rachael Ray. We rolled our lemons around on the counter. Supposedly, that revs up the flavors.

Then we washed all the lemons. (I’m a big fan of “Fit,” which I find in the produce section of my grocery store).

 *A little tip: Don’t attempt to make homemade, fresh squeezed lemonade without a juicer. Your fingers will sting for days afterward! I hand-squeezed each of these lemons, without a juicer. The very next day, I went to Target and bought a juicer for only a couple of dollars. For Pete’s Sake, what was I thinking!?

That was a lot of painful work, but definitely worth it! Strain out all the seeds.

The trick to homemade lemonade is to make a simple syrup, by dissolving the sugar into the water. Then you mix the sugar-water and fresh-squeezed lemon juice together. Ahhh, so refreshing!
ps- This was my first time using paper straws. They are really, really
annoying! They got soggy and gross before the cup of lemonade was even
gone. I will never buy them again! (They are cute for photography, but I
am a practical gal and don’t like wasting my money).

Old-Fashioned Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Ingredients:
Simple Syrup (2 1/4 cups white sugar + 3 cups water)
3 cups lemon juice (6 lemons= appx. 1 cup lemon juice)
10+ cups cold water (to dilute)

    1. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan on med/low heat until the sugar is dissolved completely.
    2. While the sugar is dissolving, roll, wash, and juice the lemons. Strain out the pulp and seeds.
    3. Add the simple syrup and lemon juice to a pitcher. Then add the cold water, to your desired strength and taste. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add
    a little more straight lemon juice to it, and vice versa.
    4. Refrigerate
    30 minutes.
    5. Serve with ice, sliced lemons, and a small splash of sugar (I like the texture it brings).

    *yields appx. 2 pitchers full

    xoxo, Rachel
    Once upon a time…

    I started a blog. This is a tale of my projects, goals, and dreams. Thank you for taking a moment to stop by. I hope you have a beautiful day.

    xoxo, Rach H.

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