Lavender Ginger Lemonade or Limemade

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

My lavender is just about to bloom and I wanted to use it in a refreshing drink. This fits the bill! This will be the new drink of the summer at our house.

In a saucepan, add:
8 c water
2 T chopped ginger
4 T lavender buds--I just dropped in the trimmed, top part of the lavender with buds
Bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, steep 15 minutes, then strain the liquid. The liquid will smell wonderful and be brownish in color. Cool completely.

In a pitcher, add 2 cans of lemonade or limeade frozen concentrate and the cooled liquid and mix together. To a blender, add 4 C of ice cubes and about 1/3 of the ade mix. Crush the ice and pour into the pitcher.

Serve over crushed ice or ice cubes and enjoy.  This was a wonderful surprise at our house today!