I think this is a first for me – sharing an idea from the kitchen, that is. This one all started when a certain someone began picking fresh lemons off the tree in our backyard. “To make lemon juice,” he said.
We quickly realized The Little Explorer was on to something. What better way to kick off summer, really, than to make fresh-squeezed lemonade?
Making fresh-squeezed lemonade is pretty simple. It basically involves combining some lemons with sugar and water. If you’re like us and not quite sure how to get the mixture just right (not too sweet, not too tart), you can use the recipe we did.
A few ideas for getting the kids involved:
- Let them do the picking! It helps to have a lemon tree in your backyard (or to know someone who does). But kids can also pick lemons from a farmers’ market or grocery store.
- Involve them in the juicing process. We use a manual juicer, so it’s always appreciated when little hands want to help out with the squeezing process.
- Share your fresh-squeezed lemonade with friends. Last summer, The Big Explorer checked an item off his summer fun list when he and a friend set up a lemonade stand at a neighborhood yard sale.
Looking for more ways to get the kids outside and into nature this summer? Check out 50 ideas for your summer outdoor bucket list.
Thanks for sharing your story, Mel! :-0
I remember picking lemons in Moorpark or somewhere around there in 1989 (am I dating myself?). We sold them to raise money for an Earth Day celebration. As I recall the trees were really thorny and I kept singing that Peter, Paul, and Mary song, "The lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat." Thanks for the memory!