Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

What could be better on a hot summer day (especially with no air conditioner) than a tall glass of strawberry lemonade? The last time I went to the grocery store to buy this sugary goodness I picked up a can of Country Time because on the label is said it big bold letters, "No Artificial Sweeteners of Flavors."  I should have known better.  It's about as processed as you can get but I was in a hurry and it was for my 4 year old's birthday party.
 

Just because the sweetener and flavors are not artificial, doesn't mean the rest of of it isn't artificial.  So, it's DIY time!  Yay!  I found an excellent tutorial on Pinterest about making strawberry lemonade and canning it. Check it out HERE.  I haven't started canning yet so I chose to freeze it by putting 2 cup servings into freezer bags.  The recipe is so easy and only has 3 ingredients!

What you need:

Fresh Strawberries - I used a 2 pound clam
Fresh lemons - I used two 3 pound bags
5 - 6 cups of sugar depending on your taste

Directions:

Cut the stems off the top of the strawberries.  If you are going to be juicing, don't worry about hulling them, just cut the green leaves off.  Peel all of the lemons.  Yeah, this is the most time consuming step.  If you want, you can zest them first and then dry it out and keep it for later use.  You can also try making candied lemon peels which is what I did though it did not turn out right.  Next time maybe.  

Using a juicer, juice all of the lemons and strawberries.  If needed, run the pulp through a second time to get the most juice out of it.  Transfer juice to a large pot and add in sugar.  Bring to a boil and let boil for about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Let cool and then transfer to 5 ziplocks or freezer safe containers.

To make, use one pack with 6 cups of cold water.  The concentrate won't actually freeze entirely.  It gets gel like so it's very easy to dilute with water.

Pour over ice and enjoy!!