Watermelon Meyer Lemonade

As much of a lemonhead as I am, I'm a latecomer to the wonderful world of the Meyer lemon. My excuses were (at least in the beginning) lack of availability in my neck of the literal woods - unlike the "big city" Toronto, all the really fun stuff doesn't filter in as quickly. When the grocery store finally did start carrying the tiny, sweet-tart fruit, it was only in mesh bags of 10-12 and exorbitantly priced. So I did what any rational foodie / wannabe gardener would do: I bought a Meyer lemon tree. If you think that's a little extreme for a lemon, I also own a fig tree. We're growing olives, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes and grapes along with the rest of the (in my case, heirloom) tomatoes, peppers, beets and carrots too. But I really wanted that Meyer lemon tree.

That was three years ago. After buying the few-years-old dwarf tree, I had to wait "patiently" for it to mature enough to both bear fruit and be strong enough to support the lemons (which, although small, are heavy for the little tree). Then there were the bugs (spider mites to be exact) - this year I almost lost the whole plant, and only through babying and watchful waiting did I finally get my first two lemons.

As soon as those two lemons turned yellow, I knew exactly what I'd be doing - lemonade, baby! I supplemented the two lemons of my own with a few I bought downtown (where the fruit stall had them cheaper than our supermarket!), and picked up some watermelon cubes that looked, if not juicy and ruby-red, at least decent. A quick spin in the blender later and I had myself a 100% sugar free drink, sweetened with naturally super-sweet stevia, that was perfect for today's 30°C weather. Had I thought of it, I would have added some frozen berries in place of ice cubes too - I love using frozen fruit as ice cubes in drinks: one, they don't water the beverage down and two, they're edible!

What's your favourite warm-weather drink?

I'm sending this deliciously healthy, vegan, sugar free, gluten free and vitamin packed quaff off to Ricki's Wellness Weekend event!

Watermelon Meyer Lemonade
For 2 litres (8 cups)12 oz watermelon flesh (a generous 2 cups)
1 1/4 cups Meyer lemon juice
zest of 2 Meyer lemons
1/4 tsp sea salt (I used pink Himalayan)
3/4 tsp stevia extract powder (I suggest either NuNaturals or NOW Foods brand as they are less bitter)
4-5 cups filtered water
frozen berries or watermelon cubes (as ice cubes)

1. In a blender, puree the watermelon, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and stevia until smooth.
2. Pour into a pitcher and add water (adjust water for how liquidy the watermelon is). Taste and add stevia if desired.
3. Chill, then pour into glasses (or mason jars!) and serve with frozen fruit ice cubes if desired.

Per cup:
Calories 21.1
Total Fat 0.1 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 77.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5.8 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 3.6 g
Protein 0.3 g

You have just read the article entitled Watermelon Meyer Lemonade. Please read the article from Emilija the sweet Estsin About Beverages , Blogging Events , Dairy - Free , Egg - Free , Gluten - Free , Kid - Friendly , Low - Calorie , Low - Fat , Sugar - Free , Tree Nut - Free , Vegan , Vegetarian more. And you can also bookmark this page with the URL : http://emilija-thesweetestsin.blogspot.com/2012/05/watermelon-meyer-lemonade.html