Homemade Lavender Lemonade with Fresh Squeezed Lemons & Raw Honey
I know that “summer” and “stress” don’t typically go together, but that makes it all the more unfortunate when you do find yourself anxious during those wonderful warm, sunny, days. Here in Minnesota, summer is a fleeting, precious thing. Personally, when I find myself starting to feel stressed and anxious, I usually start to struggle to get out and enjoy the long days. And that’s just regrettable, when winter is about eight months of the year where you live.
With fresh lemons, tasty raw honey, and dried lavender, this homemade lemonade is both refreshing, and relaxing.
Why Lemons?
Well, when life gives you lemons…but actually. While lemons do have wonderful healing properties, for this recipe, it’s all about the tart cheeriness and refreshing zing that can snap you out of a burned-out, hazy, mind funk.
Why Lavender?
Lavender is really the star here. It’s an anxiolytic, meaning it reduces stress, and we can literally see this in how it can actually lengthen brain waves, indicating relaxation. And we know it can interact with our GABA neurotransmitters.
GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid, is a naturally occurring amino acid in our brains. As a neurotransmitter, it blocks and inhibits certain signals in the brain, and decreases the activity in the nervous system.
There are different varieties of plants in the genus Lavandula, but I tend to go for Lavandula angustifolia for a lot of recipes, also known as common lavender. Its personal preference, really, and different varieties have different characteristics.
Common lavender is often cultivated for essential oil, extracted via steam distillation. It’s a lovely compact plant, and pretty hardy, in my experience with it.
Why Honey?
High quality raw honey not only tastes positively delicious, but it’s good for you too. There’s something immensely soothing about it, whether it’s a sore throat or a stressed out mind and body.
A generous cup does the trick in this recipe to balance out the tartness of the lemons and the floral earthiness of the lavender. It’s not an exact science-you can add a bit more or a bit less depending on your taste preferences.
Claire is a lover of life, the natural world, and wild blueberries. On the weekend you can find her fiddling in the garden, playing with her dogs, and enjoying the great outdoors with her horse.
Claire is very open-minded, ask her anything 🙂 Meet Claire
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