The heat is on, woowhee!   Really, it’s the humidity that’s pumping here in Philly right now.  I was wringing my clothes out this morning in the garden.   Still, a quick chug out of my icy jug of Homemade Herbal Lemonade was so cool and delicious that I was able to keep at the weeding for five whole hours!   Well, I did take a break to pick some blueberries and raspberries somewhere in the middle there…recipes to come for those.  In any case, this is a mighty refreshing beverage to have on hand on a hot summer day. 

If (when) I get married, I think I’d like to have one of my close friends make several dozen of these beautiful bottles of lemonade to have scattered around in ice-filled tin tubs and on the long communal tables laid out with a farm fresh feast {I guess I’d better buy stock in a lemon company that year}.  There’s just something about the way these jars gather condensation in the heat that makes me want to pour a glass and kick back with my flip flops off and the skirt of my sundress hiked up just a little higher.  A jar would make a great addition to a picnic basket for an outdoor concert in the park or a drive-in movie.  Bonus: add a shot of vanilla vodka and get a nice little buzz with your cool down.  Perfect for a sultry summer night. 

Homemade Herbal Lemonade
A Straight from the Farm Original

1 plus 1/2 C. granular sugar
5 large sprigs of fresh mint
1 small bunch of citrus thyme or other herb
1 vanilla bean
6 ripe lemons
water
ice

Put 1/2 cup of sugar with a 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved and the simple syrup is quite hot.   Add one or two sprig of fresh mint and a few stems of thyme.  Split and scrape the vanilla bean and add both the beans and the pod halves to the simple syrup.  Stir and set aside to steep and come to room temperature.

Wash lemons and slice into thin rounds.  Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the remaining cup of sugar.  Using a wooden spoon, masher or mallet, squish the lemon slices and sugar until a lot of liquid accumulates.   Add five cups of water to the bowl and stir.  When the simple syrup is cool, add it to the lemonade bowl and stir. 

Store in glass bottles with the remaining fresh sprigs of herbs.  Best served within one day.  Serve in chilled glasses with another sprig of herbs. 

(makes about 3 quarts)

I bet you and your friends have a few summertime traditions.  Maybe an annual girls or guys day at the beach?  An annual 4th of July BBQ?  Maybe even a camping trip?  A group of my friends, who have long scattered across several state lines and life stages (singles, newly weds, divorcees, and new parents are all among them), come together once a year on a Saturday in June to sit under the same tree in a big back yard, drink a lot of beer, play horseshoes and pretend for a little while that we’re still carefree and 20. 

Quite frankly though, I’ve outgrown what little taste I had for a keg of lager beer.   So, this year I decided I’d try a taking along the ingredients for a cocktail.  While I do like some traditions, I’m always on the hunt for a brand spankin’ new culinary concoction, drinks recipes being no exception.   Plus, like any reunion attendee who’s honest with him or herself, I wanted to bring something funky and interesting to boost my “cool” factor.

Spurred by my success with the Lavender Lemon Soda recipe, I thought I’d try another simple syrup infused with a fresh herb that would add a little somethin’-somethin’ to my cocktail.  The rosemary plants in my garden called out to me immediately.  But I really didn’t know what to put with the flavor of rosemary in a sweet context (which brings up a question: have any of you ever had a “savory” cocktail, besides a Bloody Mary?  I couldn’t think of any).  I remembered the Lemon Rosemary cake from last autumn, but took a sharp right turn from that formula when I noticed the long-neglected bottle of vanilla vodka that I’d been using to prop up some cookbooks. 

Fresh rosemary and a vanilla bean steeped in a warm simple syrup would make a heavenly perfume, save for the sticky factor.   The resulting cocktail was heavenly too.  But I think the next batch I make will skip the vodka and become a lemonade of a most complex and captivating flavor. 

Cheers!

Vanilla Rosemary Spritzer
A Straight from the Farm Original

1 large bunch of fresh rosemary (5-6 stems)
1 vanilla bean
3/4 C. sugar or sugar substitute
1 C. water
Vanilla vodka
Club soda
Crushed ice

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the rosemary (reserve a few of the tops of the stem for garnish), vanilla bean, sugar and water.  Bring to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for at least an hour.  Strain the syrup into a jar or other container and chill until ready to use. 

To make the cocktail, combine 2 parts syrup with 1 part vodka over ice and fill the glass with club soda.   Adjust ratio according to taste.  Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and serve.

(makes enough syrup for 6-8 drinks)

 

Tonic:  pertaining to, maintaining, increasing, or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ, as a medicine.

I personally associate the word tonic with two things.  First is gin and tonic, my standard wedding reception cocktail of choice.  Second are old B&W films where there’s a guy with a funny looking horse-drawn wagon standing up on the back of it, surrounded by a crowd, barking out promises of how So-and-So and Son’s tonic water is good for anything that ails the common man!   I had a pretty vivid imagination as a child (and still do, now that I think of it) so I spent more than a few slow summer afternoons picking dandelions and mixing them with muddy water before putting the concoction in a bottle, thinking I’d get me a horse and wagon next.  I think I might have made my brother drink it once…

Anyway, several years and many reminiscences later, I got around to creating a grown-up (AND drinkable!) tonic that is indeed good for what ails ya!  Watermelon and Honey Tonic (with a dash of vanilla vodka by times) is pretty, refreshing and downright relaxing when you drink it.  I kinda felt like I was in one of those TV commercials on right now where the lady drinks yogurt or something and she goes from gray to color again or drops off cholesterol or something.  Like I said, I have a vivid imagination.

Beyond its soothing properties, this tonic also holds merit as a way to use up some past-its-prime watermelon – ya know, the kind that’s overly grainy and a little too mushy?  Seeds are no problem either since you’ll be pressing everything through a strainer anyway.  See, this tonic really is good for whatever might ail ya! 

WATERMELON AND HONEY TONIC
Adapted from The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Four Ingredient Cooking

4 c. cubed fresh watermelon (about half of a nice size melon)
4 c. chilled spring water
1 lemon or lime, juiced
1 t. of honey
4 T. vanilla vodka (optional)
pinch of salt

Don’t worry about seeding the watermelon – just cut it into chunks and put in a large bowl.  Cover with chilled spring water and let stand for 10 minutes.

Using a potato masher or fork, begin mashing up the watermelon pieces.  Place large fine mesh strainer over another large bowl.  Dump half the watermelon into the strainer and press with a large spoon until it has released all its juices.  Do the same with the other half and pour all remaining juice into the juice bowl. 

Stir in the lemon or lime juice, honey and vodka (if using).  Add the pinch of salt and stir well.  Chill a couple glasses in the freezer for 5 minutes before serving.  Pour tonic over an ice cube or two in the chilled glass and garnish with a mint leaf.   Serve immediately.  Tonic will store a day or two in the fridge.

Double the recipe for a party! 

(serves 3-4)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  And in this post, my imitation of a summer refreshment on one of my new favorite food blogs is most defintely meant to be genuine flattery.  The Traveler’s Lunchbox comes from across the “pond” – Scotland to be exact.  Melissa is a kindred spirit; she is a woman after my own heart who worships fresh ripe watermelon in the same unabashed way as me.   In fact, it was her Melon’s of Memory post that first hooked me on her blog.  

As far as I know, there’s no rule book on blogging, or if there is, I haven’t been shipped my copy yet.   My own rule thus far has been to not copy another blogger’s idea too closely.  If I can’t make something truly my own, I’d rather not post it.  But as with all rules, this one is about to be broken.  Melissa did such an amazing job with this recipe, and it’s just so good that I can’t do much more than give her all the credit and post her fabulous idea with a few minor changes. 

There’s a sorry lack of rosewater here in Philadelphia.  And I also used yellow watermelon since I had gotten such a large one at the farm last week. And I cut back on the simple syrup since I found the flavor of yellow melon didn’t stand up to the sugar’s more intense sweetness.  Or perhaps that’s because I used natural raw sugar instead of the refined white sugar…?  In any case, when it’s all said and done, this is a simple and fabulous recipe idea that deserves all the cross referencing posts it can get.   It would make a lovely final course for a nice dinner party – refreshing and light.  My only problem is how to file it…is it a beverage or is it a dessert?  Or even a palette cleanser for between courses?  Well, like I said -  make your own rules and then break them when the mood strikes you. 

WATERMELON IN LIME MINT SYRUP
Adapted from The Traveler’s Lunchbox

1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar (use raw sugar if you have it handy)
1 medium watermelon
2 t. lime juice or to taste
2 t. spearmint water (or use rosewater if you can find it)
several ice cubes

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the water and sugar to create a simple syrup.  Stir occasionally until all sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and chill. 

While syrup is chilling, begin to cut up the watermelon.  Remove all seeds – this is one reason I chose the yellow melon instead of the red Sugar Babies the farm is growing since the yellow Sorbet Swirl has far fewer seeds than most red varieties.  Or course, you can just buy seedless and skip this step altogether.  Once seeds and rinds are removed, cube melon into roughly 1/2 inch cubes (about the size of dice). 

In a large pitcher or bowl, combine watermelon with lime juice and spearmint water.  Add ice cubes and about 1/2 c. of simple syrup.  Stir all together, adding some cool water and more syrup as needed to reach desired flavor.  Allow ice cubes to melt completely before serving in small shallow bowls or tumblers with spoons for eating the watermelon.

Watermelon should be eaten relatively soon after being prepared.  It will keep for about a day or so if covered in the refrigerator. 

(serves 5 to 6)

The fate of this early summer hot afternoon could be read in the tea leaves.  Lemon balm leaves added to a delightful iced pomegranate white tea created a delicate pick-me-up for my overheated body steeped in sweat after a long bike ride home.  Lemon balm, also known as sweet balm or (less accurately) bee’s balm, is a very hardy herb with a heady scent that’s perfect for adding a citrus kick to any tea or dish you might typically flavor with lemon zest.   Just resting your eyes on the green sprigs standing at the ready among ice cubes is enough to refresh.  I chose to make this tea with Pomegranate White Tea, but you can make it with any white or green tea or just brew a whole cup of lemon balm leaves alone for a truly lemony lift. 

What other teas would this be good for?  I’m guessing there are a lot that could be upgraded with fresh lemon balm.  Let me know what you think would work.

  Iced Lemon Balm & Pomegranate White Tea

  1 c. boiling water

  4 tea bags (Pomegranate White Tea or other)

  ½ c. packed fresh lemon balm leaves, washed

  2 or 3 sprigs of fresh lemon balm

  Honey or other sweetener to taste

  Ice cubes

Place tea bags in a medium size bowl.  Crush lemon balm leaves lightly with your hands to bring out the oils (and give your hands a lovely smell) and place in bowl with tea bags.  Pour boiling water over bags and leaves.  Let steep for several minutes.  Depending on the variety of tea you are using, I would recommend leaving it steep for up to 15 minutes to really pull out all of the flavor.  Remove leaves and bags, squeezing to get out the concentrated tea.  Stir in sweetener to taste.   Fill pitcher with a tray of ice cubes and place lemon balm sprigs inside.  Pour tea from bowl into pitcher.  Fill remainder of pitcher with cold water.  

Aaaahhhhhhhh………