When I went to Mexico many years ago, everywhere I went had large jars of agua fresca sitting around for purchase. At the family home each morning a large jar was made up for drinking throughout the day. I was hooked and for years after returning I made but like many things, for some reason I stopped. This year, after having a bumper crop of cucumbers from the gardens I found myself looking for cucumber recipes of different sorts and ran across one for a cucumber mint agua fresca and boy is it good! The color is a bit weird I must warn you but do not let that stop you from drinking it.
For those that do not know what an agua fresca is, it is basically a natural made, no chemical added Kool-Aid type drink. Fresh fruits are blended to a pulp, drained and simple syrup is added to it. It is then refrigerated and served over lots of ice.It is very refreshing on its own and is excellent when served along side spicy foods. It's also a great way to use up fruits and veggies that you have too much of.2 pounds cucumbers
1 cup mint leaves
1/4-1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
water
Trim the ends off the cukes and chop them up into chunks,there is no need to peel them. Strip the mint leaves from the stems. Throw the ingredients into a processor or blender, add a 1/4 cup water and blend into a pulp. You may need to do it in batches. Strain through cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer into a container then add 1/2 cup sugar, the lemon or lime and enough water to make two quarts. Refrigerate and serve over ice.
1 cup mint leaves
1/4-1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
water
Trim the ends off the cukes and chop them up into chunks,there is no need to peel them. Strip the mint leaves from the stems. Throw the ingredients into a processor or blender, add a 1/4 cup water and blend into a pulp. You may need to do it in batches. Strain through cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer into a container then add 1/2 cup sugar, the lemon or lime and enough water to make two quarts. Refrigerate and serve over ice.
Great stuff,I am gonna make some right now!!! No bumper crop here, but we had some given to us and was wondering how we'd get through them!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I too have waaay too many cucs and will make some of this. BTW this is a weird place to put this but I couldn't find your email. I have some seeds I want to trade and was wondering if you were interested. I won't be able to send them out until October but I am obsessed with seeds, what can I say. I will have fish peppers, jack be littles, ground cherries and purple tomatillos (not sure if these will mix, I can't find info on that), trionfo violetto purple podded pole beans, dragon tongue beans (hopefully!), cowhorn okra, pumpkin on a stick eggplant, golden giant amaranth, mexican sour gherkin cucs, and more that I can't think of right now. I am in search of unusual summer squash or winter squash or pretty much anything weird! You can message me on FB (glenn family gardens which you already follow) if any of these appeal to you!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of it-but it sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI made it and I added a knob of fresh ginger.. I used my Greenstar to juice the cukes so I could add in the ginger.. We got two 75 liter bottles worth from 5 fat cukes.
ReplyDeleteWe also added sparkling mineral water to half a glass and it was very very refreshing... With temperatures flying close the 100 mark here in N. Georgia, it makes a tasty change from just water!! Thanks a bunch Dilli.
I made the original recipe yesterday and it was wonderful! Can't wait to try the ginger option above when we have more cukes!
ReplyDeleteglad to hear yall enjoyed it and now a recipe for the leftover pulp to go with it :)
ReplyDeletelooking forward to trying this when i get some mint & lime juice, wish we had it last week on those killer hot days!
ReplyDelete