Foraging Redbuds and Making Lemonade

Did you know the answer to foraging perfectly ripe redbuds could be right in your backyard?

Foraging Redbuds

Just before school doors close for the summer, the landscape in April explodes with pinky-purple hues by way of the Redbud Tree. Native to eastern North America, the Redbud is one of the first plants to flower as the weather warms. Beyond providing color when we are most desperate for it, the buds, the flowers, and the seed of the tree can be eaten raw, pickled, cooked … or steeped.

Young entrepreneurs should not miss out on opportunity for an all-natural lemonade stand with some extra color-changing magic. A seeped dull purple tea of foraged redbud blossoms and water pops neon pink when combined with lemon. It’s a chemical reaction that feels like magic! Add sugar, a clipped bouquet, and a roadside stand, and none can resist.

Making Redbud Lemonade

If you’re looking for a way to use your collection of redbuds, a Redbud Lemonade can be a refreshing treat. Whenever you add redbuds to lemonade, it creates an almost floral flavor with hints of tangy sweetness and a slight note of vegetal taste. Not to mention, the color is just gorgeous and is such to create the picnic of your dreams.

Redbud Lemonade

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• Author: Leah Hohman Esser

Print Recipe

Description

A delicious and floral Redbud Lemonade is the refreshing answer to the spring sunshine.

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Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup redbud flowers, stems removed
• 5 cardamon pods, crushed
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 4 to 5 tbsp sugar, or other sweetener of your choice
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 1/2 cups cold water

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Instructions

1. Place the redbud flowers and cardamon pods in a non-reactive, heatproof container.
2. Pour boiling water over them.
3. Let cool until the container can be touched, then cover and chill for 24 hours.
4. Remove from refrigerator and strain into a pitcher.
5. Add the fresh-squeezed juice of three lemons, then add lemon juice and stir. Add sugar. Stir well.
6. Cover and refrigerate. Serve over ice.

Recipe, Story, and Styling by Leah Hohman Esser
Production by Megan Van Dyke
Photography by Katie Long

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