How To Use Whole Lemons For A Low-Waste Lemonade

Most of us add lemons to our shopping carts with plans to squeeze out their sour inner juices or to cut them up and use their slices as a brightening garnish. However we choose to use this essential citrus, it's rare for anyone to ingest all of it at once: rind, pith, and all. Contrary to popular belief, lemons can't actually clean your garbage disposal, but that doesn't mean you should throw away all that excess. Lemon peels have great nutritional value between their immune-boosting powers and high levels of antioxidants, so why shouldn't we add them to a recipe? To reap the nutritional benefits and flavors hidden inside of a whole lemon, here's how to use the full fruit for a low-waste lemonade.

Instead of juicing lemons to extract their inner liquid, making this low-waste lemonade calls for blending whole lemons with water and sugar, straining out the excess pulp, and pouring the final product into a glass and serving. To make it, simply about one cup of water for every lemon then add your sugar to taste. 

That's all there is to this elevated lemonade in its basic form. Not only does this make for a low-waste treat, but it also takes less time and elbow grease than juicing lemons for a traditional lemonade and provides so many more health benefits too.

Making the best version of this low-waste lemonade starts with quality lemons. To choose the absolute best lemons at the store, opt for organic if possible, and make sure they have a malleable, thin skin. This usually means there's less bitter pith hidden inside, so the fruit will lend a more balanced sour-sweet flavor. Next, trim and de-seed the lemons before you blend. You'll want to cut off the nub end of the lemons too, also known as the pip, to remove excess pith. Finally, cut each lemon into smaller chunks before blending to prevent overextending your blender.

This low-waste drink's unique fusion of sour, bitter, and sweet flavors makes it an elevated take on a classic lemonade. To enhance the health benefits, you could also throw some fresh ginger into the blender for a refreshing ginger lemonade. The drink will separate as it sits, so it's best to drink it right after mixing and stir in between pours if needed. You can also freeze the leftover lemonade into an ice cube tray and use the cubes later as replacements for a lemon wedge. (Or blend them with some sweetened condensed milk for a creamy cup of frozen lemonade.) Finally, this drink makes a great replacement for citrus juice and bitters in classic cocktails like a limoncello spritz or an elevated old fashioned. Once it's time to swap summer cocktails for winter stews, turn those extra lemons into a cozy bowl of soup next.