dragon fruit lemonade

i had never seen a fresh dragon fruit before this saturday when i bought some at the silver lake farmers’ market.  i’ve tried the dried slices they sell at trader joe’s, but many people haven’t heard of it outside the context of a vitamin water flavor.

they are a bit expensive (i got 3 for $10), but worth it for their tropical flavor, crunchy seeds, and beautiful colors.  the man who sold them to me suggested this recipe so of course i had to try it out.

dragon fruit lemonade
4 medium-sized lemons
1/4 c sugar
~3 c water
1 dragon fruit

you can use any recipe for lemonade you’d like.  i simply melted the sugar in a bit of hot water, added it to the juice of 4 lemons, and added water to make nearly a quart of lemonade.

once that is done peel the dragon fruit and add the bright, fleshy center to a blender with a bit of the lemonade.  blend well for about a minute.

pour back into the lemonade and watch the colors swirl.

this is a really delicious, refreshing drink, especially on the hot days like we are having right now.

yields 1 quart