Canning Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

I remember as a Young adult going to the homes of my farming and provident cousins and seeing jars of juice concentrate on their shelves, that they had extracted and canned. I Loved this idea! They used grapes, but you could use whatever fruit you would like I guess.

This mixture sounds especially delicious to me.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

Makes 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate

6 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar

In a food processor, blender or bullet puree strawberries in batches.  

Transfer strawberry puree to a stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine.

Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so keep your eye on the thermometer. Remove from heat. 

Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rim, add hot lids and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes.

To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust concentrate to suit your taste.  Some have reported a ratio of 0ne concentrate  to 3 or 4 water and loved it.

You can use bottled lemon juice for this recipe as well!!!

**If you do not want to process this concentrate in canning jars, freeze the concentrate in 1 to 2 cup portions.

 

 

This amazing recipe, info. and picture came from this website with our many Thanks!

http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/04/strawberries-and-summer-strawberry.html

Refreshing blender treat

 

 

AWWW so refreshing!

 

I Love the slushy drink that they have at Dairy Queen,

especially during the Hot days of Summer.

My favorite is the lemon lime (with ice cream in the middle like a float)

 

I was craving something cool and refreshing and had the thought...

At dairy Queen all it is, is ice and syrup.

So I pulled out my blender and went to my freezer.

 

During time of plenty I had bagged some ripe bananas,

I also had some fresh pineapple that was bagged and froze.

It just so happened that I had some orange juice in the refrigerator too.

 

So I threw it all in the blender and had a "Healthy" cold one!

 

Just think of all the combinations you could make this summer.

Either use fresh fruit and add some ice,

Or use frozen fruit and then no ice is needed.

 

 

 

Strawberry - Peach Smoothie

Couldn't resist another drink option for your consideration.

With the heat turning up, gardens growing and fruit soon to ripen on the trees, it's a good time to make some tasty healthy choices.

Strawberry-Peach Smoothie

 Ingredients

• 2 medium-size ripe peaches
• 1 cup strawberries, rinsed and hulled
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
• Sugar, as needed
• 1 cup ice cubes

Directions

1. Peel, pit, and slice peaches. In a blender, combine
   peaches and strawberries, milk, milk powder, and 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit).
2. Add ice cubes. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses, and serve immediately.

Now as you probably already know this drink can be revised to work with most any fruit you have available to you. It becomes a food storage drink when you use the powdered milk as your liquid. You can also use fruit juice in place of the milk. If you don't have to rely totally on what you have stored in your pantry or garden, then adding some good yogurt would make a nice addition as well. Pretty much any fruit with ice and a liquid taste so good and refreshing. Canned or bottled fruit works too.

 

Give it a try this summer.

 

Watermelon Lemonade

Here is one last drink to try that is Perfect for the hot summer ahead.

 

Watermelon Lemonade Cooler

 

1/2 cup Country Time Lemonade flavor mix (any kind will work, but you get the picture).

3 cups chopped seedless watermelon

1 cup ice

Mix up in blender, pour yourself a glassful,  then go lay in the hammock and enjoy!

Now doesn't that just Scream Summer?! 
I hope you planted some in your garden!







Frozen Hot Chocolate

Here is another "Drink" that would be fun to try.

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate

 

 Here are the cast of characters.

Chocolate syrup

evaporated milk

vanilla

ice

 

Throw it all into a blended and like magic,

you have a frozen drink treat.

 

 

See...frozen deliciousness.

I also like the hot variety myself.

 

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1 cup evaporated milk *(or use powdered milk)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups ice

 

*to make a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. +1 T. powder milk

 

It seems pretty easy to come up with something fun to drink. As simple as throwing a flavor you enjoy with some ice and you have an easy way to cool down in the summer heat.

Food Storage Milk Shake

 

For the Month of MAY we are adding drink mixes and water to our arsenal.

Along with a very cool Life Straw. These are amazing. You can drink water from any source and it will purify it right through the straw.

 

So along with the, "add water" kind of drink we are offering, I have tried a few food storage worthy drink recipes we can make easily.

 

 

Food Storage Milk Shake

 

I found this recipe and gave it a whirl. It said Food Storage, so I was in.

 

Now you may be wondering how it could be food storage with fresh fruit.

Those cans of Freeze Dried bananas and strawberries you have sitting on your shelf...

Yep they would work.

But I have fresh, so fresh it is.

Oh and the milk. Obviously powdered milk would work just as well.
So see, it really is food storage!

 

 All you do is put the milk, box of pudding, banana and strawberries

into a blender and blend for 1 min.
 

There ya have it.

It was called a make ahead milk shake.

So I guess it gets better after refrigerating for awhile.

Here is the full recipe.

 

Food Storage Make Ahead Milk Shake

 

3 1/2 cups Milk (powdered milk will work)

1 small package of vanilla instant pudding

1 medium banana

1/2 cup strawberries OR can of fruit

Blend for 1 min.

Refrigerate until ready