This summer I'll be experimenting with lemonade (various ratios of lemon juice, sugar and water) to find out the optimum ratio to my liking. I'll start with a basic 1 part lemon juice (from concentrate), 1 part sugar, 6 parts water formula and work from there. Perhaps this will give me a rough idea of what kind of tomatoes I like.

It's going to be a tough task, but I'm up to it.

For the advanced class in complex heirloom flavors, you can use lemony herbal teas as the base (lemon verbena, lemon balm, lemongrass, etc.) and try different sweeteners (coconut sugar, maple syrup, etc.).

I don’t think I wrote down the recipe, but several years ago we had “lemon elixir” in the refrigerator all summer. Lemon verbena tea, freshly squeezed meter lemons from the front yard, minimal sweetener, slices of meyer lemon for some zestiness (and maybe some grated zest, too). There may have been other lemony herbs in there as well.

As I noted, on a previous post (viewtopic.php?p=44723#p44723) I often make a beverage out of lemongrass, using the trimmings. In the summer, I use the dark green stalks, which are intense in flavor.

I did that experiment a few years ago. I make it in wide-mouth quart canning jars and make several at a time. When we want one, we just grab the quart jar, remove the lid and drink directly from it. It's easy to take outside to the garden or on a drive to stay hydrated. If we don't drink it all, we put the lid back on and put back in the fridge. It's just me and my husband and we like different proportions so I mark the lids so we know which jar is which recipe.

After trial and error, this is what we like. In each wide-mouth quart canning jar, for me I use level 1/3 cup bottled lemon juice, either a scant 1/3 cup or level 1/3 cup (depending on my craving) granulated sugar, add some hot water to the jar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then fill with cold water to the 1/2" from the top mark.

My husband prefers more tart so he likes level 1/3 cup of a mix of lemon and lime juices (eyeball it to 50/50) or sometimes all lime juice and level 1/4 cup of sugar and the water the same.

I don't know that it tells me anything about my tomato preference, however, I do love a tomato with fruity undertones.