Not long ago, a cousin in Israel moaned about not finding a way to use up the bumper crop of lemons from her tree. She had distributed lemons to all the neighbors, and still, the lemons took over two vegetable drawers out of three, in her refrigerator. I gave her this recipe for large batch lemonade concentrate. And after making it, she thanked me profusely for the recovered “real estate” in her refrigerator.

P.S. My cousin found the lemonade prepared from this recipe to be exquisitely delicious!

Ingredients:

• Peel of two lemons, yellow part only, pared with a potato peeler
• 10 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 cups of sugar
• 8 cups of water

Method:

1. In a large pot, combine the peel, the lemon juice and the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
2. Add the water to the pot and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool completely. Strain out lemon peel if desired (optional).
4. Transfer the lemonade concentrate to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator.
5. For one serving add lemonade concentrate to a fill an 8 oz. glass about halfway. Then add an equal amount of cold water and stir well. You can also add ice cubes if desired. Enjoy your refreshing homemade lemonade!
6. To make larger batches, simply multiply the ingredients accordingly. This recipe is great for using up a surplus of lemons and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. It’s perfect for hot summer days or any time you want a cool and tangy drink.
7. Experiment with different variations by adding fresh mint leaves, sliced strawberries, or even a splash of sparkling water for a fizzy twist.