Tricia and Tim invited John and I to go to the farmer’s market in downtown Salt Lake recently. What a fun place! I haven’t ever been to that particular farmer’s market, but I am so glad that I made the effort to roll out of bed, throw on my jeans and my tres chic black tee along with my three year old worn out well loved Teva’s. It was a transcendent experience immersing myself in the uptown/downtown/midtown/granola village/country farmer/stringed instrument amalgamation/tattoo loving/dog walking/flip flop and shorts wearing/’everything is at least two weeks late this year’ community that is the farmer’s market of Pioneer Park.
My favorite booth was one that is run by two women who not only grow vegetables, but also save heirloom tomato seeds. I bought several varieties of seeds from them which I will store for next year’s garden. SO EXCITED.
John and I were polarized by the boiled peanut booth (I was raised on boiled peanuts) and could hardly wait to get our hands on a cup of those heavenly creations, but in the meantime Tricia and Tim had moseyed to the booth next door. As the sweat rolled down the back of my neck I looked up and saw Tricia sashaying back with what looked to be the most refreshing drink I had ever seen. I nearly dropped my cup of boiled peanuts in the franticness of demanding to know what she was drinking. “Limeade with mint”, she said. And then as she saw the calculating glint in my eyes, she protectively held the limeade closer to her, then quickly pointed and said, “Go get one right there.”
The booth was a flurry of activity with each of the six or seven workers busily carrying out their assigned contributions to the production of the limeade. I hurried over to the booth and only once I was there did I notice that there was a LINE…extending straight back to the boiled peanut booth from which I had just come. A variety of embarrassing, irritated, perturbed thoughts flashed through my mind, but I just put on my “Oh-I-was-just-checking-things-out-to-see-if-they-were-worth-further-attention” look and casually sauntered back to stand in line.
All that I can say is that the minted limeade was worth the wait. I watched as the smiling, confident young man behind the counter with long flowing hair shook each drink in a Mason jar, then adroitly filled the clear plastic cups. “I want to shake that jar and pour my own drink”, I thought to myself. “I want to do that right now and plop a straw in the jar and sit in the shade and stare at the sea of humanity which has turned out for the farmer’s market on a bright, sunny Saturday in July.” As I reached for my clear plastic cup I could see two spent lime halves, perfectly bruised mint leaves, hospital-style crushed ice (the best kind of crushed ice), and raw sugar which had settled on the bottom.
Even after the limeade was gone, the mint and lime halves gave a wonderful flavor to the water from the melting ice. It was a nice little bonus.
The recipe that I am using for this limeade is not particularly original, however the presentation makes it especially fun. There is something about drinking out of a Mason jar with a straw that makes me feel happy and care-free. Plus seeing the lime and the mint leaves hanging out with the crushed ice makes a great visual.
In the following recipe I departed from the use of the raw sugar in the bottom of the glass. Although I truly enjoyed the taste of the sugar, I did not like the feel of the granules in my mouth because I found them to have a ‘sandy’ feel. True, they were sweet and I could crunch them, which was not altogether unpleasant, but overall I did not like the feel and wished for a smooth drink. You may not feel the same way, so feel free to toss raw sugar granules in the bottom of your glass. If you choose to use the sugar granules, you may want to decrease the sugar in the simple syrup to avoid an overly sweet product.
Fresh Limeade with Mint
Ingredients
For the Limeade Concentrate
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice This can take anywhere between 6-9 limes, Save the lime halves.
- several sprigs of fresh mint
For the Reconstituted Fresh Limeade with Mint
- 10 cups water
- Fresh mint leaves, about 3 per pint jar
- lime halves, count on 1-2 per pint jar
- ice crushed or 'hospital-style' See "Notes".
Optional
- 8 teaspoons raw sugar This is made up of large, tannish sugar crystals. Find raw sugar near the white and brown sugars in the baking isle of your grocery store.
Instructions
For the Limeade Concentrate:
- In a medium-sized saucepot, mix together the 2 cups water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved. Cool completely.
- While the simple syrup is cooling, prepare the lime juice. Wash the limes with a little dish soap and water to sanitize them. Rinse well! Cut the limes crosswise and extract the juice using a reamer or citrus juicer. Be sure to save the lime halves to add to individual serving glasses or jars.
- Add the lime juice to the simple syrup; stir to combine. This is the limeade concentrate.
- Remove the pot of concentrate from the burner. Add several mint sprigs and allow the concentrate to cool to room temperature. Remove the mint sprigs after the concentrate has cooled.
- Store left-over concentrate in the refrigerator, up to 1 week. It can also be frozen for future use, up to 3 months.
For the Reconstituted Limeade with Mint (8 servings):
- When ready to serve, mix all of the limeade concentrate with 10 cups of water. This will make nearly 1 gallon of Limeade.
- Before serving, to each pint jar or 16 ounce glass, add 3 fresh mint leaves, 1-2 spent lime halves (saved from the juicing process), and 1 teaspoon raw sugar, if using. Add ice to within ½-inch of the top. Fill with Limeade.
For a Single Serving
- In a pint jar, put 3 mint leaves, 1-2 lime halves, and, if using, 1 teaspoon raw sugar in the bottom of the jar or glass.
- Add 1/2 cup limeade concentrate and 1½ cups water. Stir to combine. Fill the jar or glass with crushed ice to within about 1/2-inch of the top. Serve.
- Note: If using a pint jar, put a tight-fitting lid on the jar and shake. The movement of the ice across the mint leaves and the limes will release additional flavor into the jar of limeade. Remove lid and serve.
Notes
- For those with a Sonic Drive-In in their area, Sonic sells bags of their crushed ice very inexpensively.
- Reconstituted, the full measure of concentrate will make approximately 3¾ quarts of limeade (almost 1 gallon).
- To Store Concentrate. Store concentrate, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 week OR up to 3 months in the freezer. Freezer-safe lidded, plastic containers work well.
Nutrition
Add spent limes and 3 mint leaves to the jars.
Add crushed ice and limeade. Seal with a tight-fitting lid.
Give everything a good like-you-really-mean-it shake. This will release the mint flavor and will also infuse a richer taste of lime from the lime halves.
Take off the lid and add a straw. I could drink a quart of this stuff. I did drink a quart of this stuff.
What a refreshing drink! I love how you served it in the pint jars. It’s so hot here right now a pint jar of that limeade would taste perfect.
I could use a glass of that right now! So refreshing. 🙂
Welcome Savoring Time in the Kitchen and Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen. Thank you for your kind comments. Last night before I went to bed I tossed a few mint leaves and 4 or 5 spent lime halves into the pitcher with the limeade. This morning I fished out the mint leaves and limes, then poured myself a tall one. Mmmmmm. It was perfect.
Thanks for the love, Terri. I posted a link to your article on Sweet Salt Lake Fresh Mint Limeade’s facebook page.
Hasen the Limeagician
Sweet Salt Lake
Hey, Hasen! Wow…how the heck did you find me? I think about your limeaids every week, but haven’t had a chance to get back down to the farmer’s market. That stuff is MIRACULOUS!!!! Love it. ~Terri