With maple season in full swing, March can be a busy time for many of us here at Maple Valley. As the weather warms and spring thaw begins, many of us find ourselves spending more time outdoors. Whether we are working in the maple woods or preparing for summer on the farm, we often need to stop to remember to take care of ourselves. With that spirit in mind, employee Alex decided to take on a health-conscious recipe this week. This Turmeric Glow Lemonade recipe from The Glowing Fridge hits the spot with its inclusion of two super-foods! Turmeric has long been touted for it’s health benefits, and is a favorite to the health conscious everywhere. Read on to see how it went!

Turmeric Glow Lemonade

Hi maple lovers! Alex here with another recipe of the week for you! Spring is a super busy time for everyone, so this recipe is going to be quick and easy. I wanted something healthy this week, so I was super excited when I found this Turmeric Glow Lemonade recipe from vegan blogger The Glowing Fridge. Anyway, no need to waste anymore time, lets get to it!

The list of ingredients for this one is pretty short, and there doesn’t seem to be any magic method of combining them. I will share a tip with you though, as a previous barista, if you have to add powder to a drink and you are also adding something like syrup or honey, mix the powder with that first. It will help to incorporate everything later while minimizing clumps. With that in mind, that is just what I did. Start with one tablespoon of Maple Valley Dark & Robust Maple Syrup (dark syrup is thought to have more minerals & vitamins than light, though this has not been proven):

Then add the Turmeric (1/2 tsp)…

Next, 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne. I will make a note here. If you do not like spicy foods, or don’t handle them well, don’t add this. I did, and I regretted it, but I don’t generally do spicy. Maybe, try adding fresh ginger instead if you have it. I think the flavor would combine very well with the Turmeric & Lemon.

The last spice is a shake of black pepper.

Even though the recipe doesn’t say to do so, this is the point where I stir everything together really well to break up any clumps of spice powder. Then, you can start adding the other liquids. First, the juice of one lemon. If you don’t have a fresh lemon, you can add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice from a jar, which is what I did. I think if I make this recipe again, I will actually add even more, because the lemon flavor ended up being a little lost in this recipe.

Next, two drops of lemon essential oil. This one is also optional in the original recipe. It does help intensify the lemon flavor, but I think you would be okay without it if you would rather not add it.

Finally, three cups of filtered water.  I found this to be a little too much for one sitting, especially since everything settles pretty quickly. Luckily, it was just enough to share with one other person, but if you are alone, you might want to half this recipe.

The next step is to stir it all together! I feel like my pepper chunks were really obvious here, I’m not sure why. They don’t taste very obvious when drinking it.

Now, add ice and enjoy!

When I tasted it, all I could taste was spice. I ended up adding another tablespoon of maple syrup to help make it a little more palatable. As I said previously, I think I would put fresh ginger in this recipe in place of the Cayenne to make it more enjoyable.

One thing is for certain though; the color is awesome! Look at it glow! Glow baby, glow! Now get back to work. ?

Did you try this recipe at home? Let us know how it went in the comments!