6 cups cold water, divided
1/2 cup to 1 cup honey or agave nectar, to taste
2 medium-size lemons, cut into wedges
Optional garnishes: whole strawberries, lemon slices, fresh mint, or lemon balm sprigs
In the basin of the blender, add the strawberries, 3 cups of cold water, and the honey or agave nectar. We like 1/2 cup of honey or agave nectar when the berries are at their sweetest, but you might want to add a touch more if your berries are tarter or your family enjoys sweeter drinks. Blend until very smooth, then pour the strawberry puree mixture into a large pitcher. Put the lemon wedges and the remaining 3 cups of water into the blender. Blend until it's mostly chopped up finely (it doesn't have to be smooth). Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to push through any liquid remaining in the pulp. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher with the strawberry mixture. Stir well to combine. Pour over ice into glasses. Garnish with lemon slices, strawberries, and fresh herbs, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes:
To make limeade, replace the lemons with 2 large limes. If all you have on hand are small limes or key limes, increase the amount to 3 whole limes. To make this using frozen strawberries, let strawberries thaw completely, reserving the juice. Use the thawed berries and juice in place of the fresh berries in the recipe. To make this into a cocktail, add one ounce of white rum, silver tequila, vodka, or gin to each 8 ounce serving of strawberry lemonade.