For me the taste of woodruff brings my childhood back. I loved this funny taste growing up. Woodruff jello, ice cream or anything with the flavor. Not sure how old I was when I realized that woodruff is actually an herb and it is not an artificial flavor. With this homemade Woodruff Lemonade you can be a child for some a short time while sipping on the lemonade. It is made with fresh woodruff and no refined sugar.
Woodruff is a seasonal herb that can be harvest or bought between April and June. I grow woodruff in my garden but see it also at most fruit markets in the herb section. Until I saw real woodruff for the first time I thought it was an artificial flavor. I am certain your kids will be thrilled about this homemade Woodruff Lemonade. Your friends will be happy when you serve them the woodruff syrup with some champagne or as a wine spritzer. Who does not like to feel like a kid again. If you do like special cocktails you can also try my Lavender Vodka Cocktail.
The season for fresh woodruff is from April to June. You can grow easily yourself.
With woodruff you need to be a bit careful and make sure you do not use too much of it. In small doses it is quite healthy. When dried the smell of woodruff is like vanilla, hay and honey. Woodruff has been used for ages to treat uterine cramps, disorders of the kidney and liver, nervousness, poor digestion, and heart irregularities. Further it is added to other medicines to improve their flavor. Some studies indicate that it kills bacteria and that one of its constituents, asperulide, reduces inflammation.
For the real flavor you need the woodruff to be slightly dried for like a day. On the other hand with the drying the Coumaringlycosid turns into Coumarin. High doses of Coumarin can make you dizzy, get you headaches and damage your liver. Coumarin is also in certain cinnamon or lavender. Since you only use a syrup that is later diluted with water you should not worry. Do not let your kids drink gallons of it.
You can also dilute the woodruff syrup with champagne or use it to make a cocktail. You will love your adult version of a Woodruff Lemonade.
Woodruff Lemonade
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Ingredients
What do you need for your Woodruff Lemonade?
- 17 fl. oz Water
- 1/3 cup Woodruff – Fresh woodruff, should have been dried for a day
- 1 1/4 cup Erythritol – or coconut sugar or regular sugar
Instructions
How to make Woodruff Lemonade?
- First wash the fresh woodruff and let it dry for a day on some paper. Before using it, put it another 15 minutes in the freezer.
- Use a maison jar or a bottle you can close with a lid. Fill boing water into the jar or bottle, put the lid on and turn it around. Be careful with you hands and that you use a container that can hold boiling water. Make sure the glas container is not really cold before you add the water, it could burst.
- In a pot heat up the sugar and water until the Erythrtol is dissolved. Turn the heat off and add the woodruff. Let it cool down and add the lemon slides. Poor everything in the desinfected container. Put the lid on and let it stand in a dark place for around 4 days.
- Strain the liquid. You might want to inhance the color with some natural green food color.
- Let the syrup cool down in the fridge for some hours. Serve the woodruff on ice, add some soda water and stir. The mix depends on your taste buds. I use approx. 1/4 woodruff to 3/4 soda.
Woodruff has been used for ages as an healing herb. I larger quantities it can be dangerous though.