Too late in the year for lemonade?

Josh here for our weekly recipe!

It’s early November, but the tomatoes are still on the vine and ripening here in southwestern North Carolina. Our sweet basil is also still thriving.

So I say no, it’s never too late for lemonade!

I love this recipe. It doesn’t call for a diabetes-causing amount of sugar and it comes out sweeter than regular old fashioned lemonade.

Basil Nectarine Lemonade

3 1/2 cups filtered or spring water (note: quality, refreshing H2O is the key to delicious lemonade. Who wants lemonade that tastes like your swimming pool?)
1 cup fresh sweet basil leaves, plus additional for garnish
2 nectarines, 1 coarse chopped and 1 sliced thin
1/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey
1 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice

In a small saucepan stir together 2 cups of water, 1 cup basil, 1 nectarine that’s been coarsely chopped, and the sugar or honey. Bring mixture to a boil and stir until the sugar or honey is uniformly incorporated. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Let the mixture cool and strain through a fine sieve set over a pitcher, pressing hard on the solids. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cup water, the remaining nectarine, sliced thinly, and the lemon juice. Fill tall glasses with ice cubes and garnish with fresh mint or basil leaves.

Makes about 6 cups, serving 4-6.

Let’s sip some lemonade and then go quilt!

Josh