Fresh Blueberry-Infused Lemonade

I'm back! :) Seems like time has raced by for the last few weeks. We've been pretty busy working on various projects and tasks before I go back to work next week. Elizabeth has continued to be a wonderful and blessed growing baby girl! Here she is at 6 weeks old!

 But enough of the cuteness - for now. :)


I've concocted an amazing new creation in the kitchen, and I wanted to share it here with all my readers! Robert has requested it since I made it up, and anything my husband wants me to make again is a winner in my book. :) 

So here it is: Fresh Blueberry-Infused Lemonade

Ingredients: 

2 fresh lemons
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
15-20 lemon balm leaves - you'll want a variety of young (smaller) and older (bigger) leaves
3/4 - 1 1/4 cup sugar (depending on preference) 
2 liters of water
Infuser with pitcher - I bought mine at Costco for $16 (or mesh colander + large mouth pitcher)

Start with preparing and measuring your
ingredients.

 Zest one of your lemons. (I used about
2 teaspoons of zest).

Set the zest aside.

Rinse your blueberries and set them aside.

Rinse your lemon balm leaves. Be sure to take
deep breaths while you do! You won't regret it :)
Pat them dry, and set them aside.

Measure your sugar. I used 3/4 cup, but you can
use more or less depending on your taste. (My
hubby likes everything sweet, though.)

Once your lemon balm leaves have had a chance
to dry, tear them. Don't worry about being exact;
this is not a science! Try to tear every leaf at least
once to release as much lemon-minty goodness as
possible. :)

Juice your lemons. (I did this by hand, which is a
fabulous way to find any minor cuts, hangnails or
scrapes on your hands and fingers, btw!) I strained
my lemon juice, since we don't like pulp (or seeds!)
in our beverages, but you could just juice directly
into your pitcher if you wanted to.

Add the sugar to the lemon juice.
Mix with a wooden spoon
until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the lemon balm leaves to the lemon juice
and sugar mixture.

Put your blueberries and
lemon zest in your
infuser (or mesh colander).

Add your water to your
pitcher (but don't fill it all
the way - you want to leave
room for your infuser or
colander).

Hold the infuser or colander with the
blueberries and lemon zest over
the pitcher, but don't submerge
it completely. Steady the infuser
or colander with one hand while you
mash the blueberries gently with a
wooden spoon - right into the lemonade!

Secure your infuser and lid onto your pitcher. Let your lemonade sit for at least an hour so that your flavors really meld and marry. (If you're using a mesh colander and pitcher, you can just let it sit over the sink with a piece of plastic wrap gently laid over the top - you're only needing to protect your delicious beverage from dust and bugs). It's okay if you see bits of lemon zest, pulp or blueberries in your lemonade - this makes it more tasty!

This is my favorite part about
this recipe - the lemonade turns a vibrant
color of fushia!

Enjoy your lemonade over ice.
It will keep nicely in the refrigerator
for 2-3 days.

I hope you like my Fresh Blueberry-Infused Lemonade!