You might ask us, why does blueberry lemonade have its own entry? Well, the answer to that is simple. Because it’s so darn tasty. Another reason for that is Texas is home to some of the best lemons and blueberries in the United States. The blueberry lemonade that’s made with Texas lemons and blueberries is absolutely without equal if you ask us.
Blueberry Lemonade Trivia
- National Lemonade Day is celebrated on August 20.
- Qatarmizat is the name of the beverage created by the Egyptians in 500 AD. The ingredients? Lemon juice and sugar.
- “Ade” in lemonade means that the juice is not 100% pure and it is generally sweet.
- The anthocyanins in blueberries turn blueberry lemonade into a purple color.
Blueberry Lemonade Buying Guide
Blueberry lemonade is a delicious and refreshing drink, and this is why you should always consider the additives in the drink before purchasing any.
Try and avoid any product that has the following:
- High Fructose Corn Syrup – A very cheap sweetener that’s made from GMO corn. This has been linked to many diseases. If you are going to drink something sweet, it’s better to drink something that’s sweetened with natural sugars.
- Lemon Juice Concentrate / Blueberry Concentrate – This is generally fine, but it’s better if they use 100% juices, not from concentrate.
- Sodium Bisulfate – This is a preservative commonly used on drinks. Avoid if you have asthma.
- Sodium Benzoate – This is another preservative commonly used in juices. Some studies have raised questions about the safety of Sodium Benzoate, but more research is needed for anything definitive.
We might have missed some other preservatives, but a general rule of thumb is, if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it.
There are a couple of Texas-made blueberry lemonade drinks on the market that are certified organic and uses no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. If you’re in the mood for blueberry lemonade, then you might want to keep an eye out for those.
Blueberry Lemonade Production & Farming in Texas
Blueberry lemonade is relatively common in Texas. Many restaurants will serve freshly made blueberry lemonade without any added junk in it. Farmers’ markets are also excellent locations to get freshly squeezed blueberry lemonade; you can even pick which blueberries and which lemons to use for your drink. To take it a step further, you can visit pick-your-own farms and choose your own blueberries, and they will teach you how to make it into blueberry lemonades.
Pesticides:
Blueberries are very high on the list when it comes to pesticide residue contamination. This is another reason why it is good to get your blueberry lemonade from local producers that use only locally grown and organic blueberries.
Packaging:
Blueberry lemonades sold in stores are usually packed and sold in glass bottles. Some producers also pack them in big milk-carton style packaging, but those are few and far between.
Enjoying Blueberry Lemonade
Blueberry Lemonade is best enjoyed cold and on ice. It is also good as a slushie when available.
Storage:
Blueberry lemonade can be stored in the fridge for a few days, but I doubt it’ll last that long before somebody drinks it all.
Make Your Own Blueberry Lemonade:
While a little bit labor-intensive, making blueberries from fresh organic blueberries is a very rewarding (and delicious) task.
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Syrup
4 cups fresh blueberries (Preferably locally grown and organic)
½ cup sugar
juice of one lemon
For the Lemonade (Use your own recipe, or follow the one below)
6 cups sugar + 6 cups of water to make a simple syrup
24 lemons, juiced (Local Meyer Lemons work wonderful for this recipe)
To make blueberry syrup:
Add the blueberries, ½ cup sugar and the juice of one lemon to a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Strain the blueberry syrup through a fine-mesh strainer or through a cheesecloth to separate all the solids from the syrup. Chill the resulting syrup.
To make lemonade:
Make a simple syrup from the 6 cups of sugar and 6 cups of water.
In a separate container, add the juice of the lemons and 8 cups of water. Add about three-quarters of the simple syrup and the blueberry syrup. Mix until well incorporated and taste. Add the remaining simple syrup to taste.
Once the desired taste is reached, serve on ice. You can store the blueberry lemonade in the fridge for three to four days.
