Celebrate With Fresh StrawberryAde!
Most of us have folks in our families who can’t tolerate sugar like they used to ~raises her hand~. They usually end up being left out in the cold when it comes to serving up treats. This drink changes all of that for sugar intolerant folks but also impresses everyone else as well – in a big way. The most difficult part of making and serving this is going to be convincing everyone it doesn’t have sugar in it. Honestly, even though I’m the one making it, I still find myself pausing and feeling guilty for drinking it – it tastes that good. This is the most delicious drink, sugar free or otherwise, that I have ever had.
I’ll get on to telling you about how to make this incredibly easy and delicious drink in a minute because right now it’s tangent time. ~grins and rubs her hands together~
These are the glasses my Mama Reed used for her tea at every meal. They were considered very fancy glasses but Mama Reed never put them aside for special occasions. She considered each meal to be special and worthy of her best. “Always set your table like the President is coming to dinner” is her often quoted saying.
For their fiftieth wedding anniversary, all of the kids went in together and bought her a set of fancy china, ivory plates edged in gold. Most folks would put them in a china cabinet on display and bring them out on holidays, but not Mama Reed. From then on out, those gold edged plates were eaten off of at least three times a day, every day of the week. She had a lot of wisdom to share in that one simple action. Even if its just grilled cheese sandwiches and chips, when your family is together at the table, you have something to celebrate.
The day after my mother’s parents were married, my Papa Reed woke up and said “Well, I guess we’ll have to go get some breakfast somewhere because we don’t have anything to cook here yet.” That was when it occurred to my grandmother that she had never learned how to cook!
She went straight to her new mother in law, Mama Reed, who was known near and far for the delicious table she laid out. Sundays proved to be wonderful for such lessons as many women would gather in the kitchen to help Mama Reed prepare the largest meal of the week. Grandmama got right in there, doing her best where she could to help with what little knowledge she had. On one of those Sundays, she decided to try to fix the tea for everyone. Mama Reed had brewed it already and poured it into a large glass jug she had already added sugar and water to. Grandmama got a long handled metal spoon to stir it with. She said she was just a stirrin’ on that tea, determined to show she knew what she was doing. Until the metal spoon hit the side of the jug real good and the entire thing shattered, sending a gallon of sticky sweet tea pouring all over the kitchen floor.
Oh my, a tangent within a tangent! Alright, back to tangent #1…
The interesting thing about these glasses is that they weren’t acquired in a fancy store or even the kitchen department at Dunavant’s or JCPenney, they came from the grocery store, filled with peanut butter. With ten children and all of the other folks who came by on any given day, Mama Reed amassed quite a collection (no doubt she had good use for all of that peanut butter, too!). I don’t have any of her original ones but I’ve managed to come across enough to use them at my table, although I only do so from time to time.
My kids love drinking out of these and I helped them understand the history behind them by finding an old advertisement for the glasses and peanut butter, which I have framed on my kitchen wall here at Bountiful. This ad is dated June, 1957.
Big Top glasses were plentiful in the South and for this reason are still pretty easily acquired at antique malls and on Ebay (see the bottom of this post).
This glass still has the original sticker, it’s a prized possession of mine and only cost me about $6.00. I usually try to spend my money on something with a meaning and a history to it rather than something new whenever I can.
Now what was I supposed to be posting about? Oh yeah…StrawberryAde.
And we’re off!~zoooooom~
You’re going to need: 16 ounces (or two cups) fresh strawberries, and a tub of pink lemonade Crystal Light.
That’s it. Honest.
Oh alright, some water as well but you should have that on hand.
You can also use generic sugar free pink lemonade mix such as Wal Mart brand.
You know my motto: “Go for the cheap!”.
Wash and cut the tops off of your strawberries. If a few make it into your mouth, I won’t tell. 
Toss them into your blender.
This is my old Hamilton Beach blender. I’ve had it since they made dirt and it’s still going strong.
Puree that until it’s all good and liquified.
Put a few inches of water in a two quart pitcher.
I really wanted a glass pitcher for this tutorial but I don’t own one. I put off doing this for a few weeks as I looked every time I went out, hoping to find a deal. In the end, I didn’t find one for less than $8.00 and I felt guilty buying it (seemed frivolous) just to take a prettier photo of Strawberryade. So here we are, doing a tutorial in my usual plastic pitcher.
Jes’ keepin’ it real, y’all!
Add your Pink Lemonade mix to the water…
Stir that up til it is dissolved.
Stir in puree.
Fill the rest of the way with cold water and stir.
Serve over ice.
If you make this a few hours before, the seeds will fall to the bottom. If you serve immediately, you can strain the seeds out or just leave them like I do. It makes it look more authentic and fresh ~grins~.
This reminds me of a Strawberry Julius (from the old days) with a bit of a zesty kick to it! Strawberry is definitely the dominant flavor!
Fresh Strawberry-ade
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries
- 1 Tub Crystal Light Pink Lemonade
Wash and remove tops from strawberries. Place in blender and puree until fully liquefied. Fill two quart pitcher halfway with water. Stir in drink mix. Add strawberry puree and fill the rest of the way with cold water. Stir well. If strawberries aren’t sweet enough, you can add ¼ a cup of Splenda or to taste. I’ve never had to add Splenda!
Serve cold, over ice.
Happy Fourth Of July!
Thank you to everyone who has fought for our country. Our debt to you can never be paid but that won’t prevent us from attempting to. If you have a loved one serving overseas, these two cookie recipes are ones that ship exceptionally well. I’ve sent them a few times and despite it taking a month for my package to reach it’s destination, they still arrived fresh and were gobbled up with tons of praise!
M & M Oatmeal Bars (these received the HIGHEST praise)
Dishpan Cookies (these stay fresh for a very long time).
Gratefully,
Christy
“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”-Harriet Van Horne
Submitted by Amelia. To submit your quote (and make my day), please click here!
Find out more about Mama Reed on these posts:
Mama Reed’s Southern Style Rice Pudding
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That looks easy enough.
I just need a blender. I wonder how Edward would like it; he loves strawberries.
Do you make strawberry smoothies?
I used to drink these all the time when I was a kid. Just milk and strawberries whizzed together.
OR….really naughty treat (for yourself, not Edward
)
Sliced strawberries and condensed milk. The condensed milk goes all pink from the strawberry juice.
You could always cut them up a bit with a knife and smoosh ‘em with a fork! Making do makes it better! lol
OOH Su, and take frozen strawberries, add two packs of splenda or equal and some milk,blend and WOW!
Holy cow this looks GOOD! I wish we were having folks over for the 4th just so I could make it. I guess the task will have to fall on hubby and me to take care of it. *wink* I’ll have to start looking for a glass pitcher now because how pretty would that gorgeous strawberry color look in one!
Now you’re gonna go and get the purty glass pitcher and everything! ~sniff~
~giggle~
It really is. This is one of those recipes that it kills me thinking some of you might not try it, it’s THAT good!
I’m gonna have to make me some more today I think…
Real pink lemonade! It looks good, I’ll have to remember it for later in the year when it comes to summer for us.
You are so lucky to be in summer. We’ve had storms for the last two weeks.
Oh honey, I can sympathize a bit though! At the start of our summer (when we were trying to move) we had about a month of rain. I was waiting on Noah to pull up and the squirrels to start lining up two by two!
I need sunshine. It keeps me happy
Our winters are pretty mild in all honesty but these winds have been crazy. I went to my new house on Monday and there was a puddle of water inside by the entry. With all the wind and rain the tiny crack between the door and frame allthat water managed to get in over the course of a day.
I figured it must involve crystal light. Thanks for the recipe. I’m a big crystal light fan and I have strawberries in my garden.
STRAWBERRIES IN YOUR GARDEN???????????????
I am so coming to live with you!!!!
If you like Crystal Light, have you tried the Cherry Limeade mix from Wal Mart? It is their generic brand and WOW is that stuff ever good!
My mother and I have it coursing through our veins at this point, we’ve drank so much!
How delicious! A definite beverage for this holiday weekend! And sugar free to boot! Thanks for the history on Mama Reed’s ice tea glasses. I have the sherbets (handed down) and had no idea they originally held peanut butter!!! I love to daily use dishes, glassware, etc that has been handed down and not save it for only “special” occasions. I enjoy using a bit of “history” everyday!
Wishing you a special, bountiful day!
They used to sell jam in glass jars which could be used as tumblers when empty. They were recognizable by the diamond pattern on the bottom. I don’t think they sell them anymore but not too long ago when I was at my friend’s house I was having a drink and I asked her “this is from a jam bottle?” Yep it was!
My grandmother has those! As kids we thought they were the coolest. She also had the cinnamon and sugar shakers that had little characters on them. =)
That looks delish! I would love to try some! It makes me think of Egypt. I’ve never actually been to Egypt, but from movies and accounts of people who’ve been, apparently strawberry juice is an extrememly popular treat there!
I have a half whiskey barrel with strawberries in it. There’s usually just enough for one or two per day, if I manage to beat the birds and bugs to them!
I’ve seen those peanut butter glasses in antique malls! I have a weakness for jelly jar glasses. They just seem the perfect size and weight for me. You can usually find them at thrift stores for about 25 cents each!
Hello Christy,
This time you’ve even out done yourself! (Is that possible!) Yumm!, I’m off to the store after it stops raining here to buy all the ingrediants. It’s Strawberry Ade in the McKee home tonight for eveyone but my oldest son who is alergic to strawberries. (Poor guy, who has ever heard of someone being deathly allergic to berries?) For him I’ll make lime aide. Thank you for the WalMart tip about their generic mix!
Blessings,
Maralee
Thanks, I off to the kitchen to have this ready for drinking later. Of course, I’ll have to taste it before putting it in the fridge.
Yumm! And this something my mom should be able to enjoy! (She’s diabetic and can’t enjoy a lot of these great drinks!) I think I’ll go get some strawberries tonight…
Hey Christy!
Have you ever tried this with the Crystal Light lemonade? I have a canister here already and wondered if I could substitute it.
Absolutely! I’d use what I had on hand without question! It will still be great!
Thanks! I am going to try it for the 4th this weekend.
Looks so refreshing and easy. I love the peach ice tea from crystal light. Another one i need to try. ((hugs)) to you.
I never thought about adding in fresh strawberries to the Crystal Light Lemonade! This is great and I can’t wait to try it!
And who’d have thought peanut butter containers could be so pretty!
The glasses brought back wonderful memories. Mom had a set of them up in Conn. The sherbet size were the ones we dyed the Easter eggs in. An egg fit perfectly in them. I had completely forgot they were originally filled with peanut butter. I wonder what happned to the set?
They make a drink like this at the Mexican restaurant here in our town and my husband could drink it by the gallons. Thanks to you, now I can make my own instead of pay $2 a glass for it there! (And it’s no sugar added- whoo hoo!) We probably can’t say it’s sugar free since there is natural sugar in the strawberries, but close enough! Thanks, I can’t wait to try it!
My wife and I enjoy trying your recipies, Christy! She’s threatening me with the Sundae Cake even as we speak.
I love the old “Big Top” Peanut Butter and Jelly glasses. We used to drink from those and the “Bama” jelly glasses (they had colorful prints of circus parades and ducks & stuff) and the glasswear that came as a “premium” in the Crystal Oats and Duz detergent boxes…anybody else remember those?
That really looks good! I can imagine it would seem heaven sent after mowing two yards like I did yesterday. Thank ya kindly maam!
Oh that looks so REFRESHING! I’ll have to try this one out this summer for sure.
I remember the little glassses that came in the oats. My grandmother used to save those for me to drink out of.
I’ve had my maternal grandmother’s dishes for years and use them every day. And pretty soon my dad will be bringing me his mother’s dishes and china hutch that I have inherited as well.
And I LOVE those old ads – I bought up an old 50’s issue of The Ladies Home Journal from a flea market around here a few years ago. I really enjoyed looking at the old advertisements (and funnily enough a lot of the articles dealt with pretty much the same issues we deal with today!)
Ooooh, this sounds WONDERFUL! And even better, I have the pink lemonade in my pantry and am going to the farmers market tomorrow to get some goodies for the long weekend. Big container of strawberries will make it into the car for sure. I’m hosting my mom and aunt for dinner on the 3rd and this would be great after their long day of shopping! You rock!
Hi Christy,
Just wondering if I missed something but looks like you have something green on your ice cubes and glass rim? Could it be mint or am I seeing things again..lol Thanks for everything you do your great and appreciated alot….Roger
Hey Roger! You’re not seeing things!Those are just strawberry seeds
. ~grins~ Sharp eye!
Thank you!!! I appreciate you reading!!!
Gratefully,
Moi
Be still my heart – someone else who loves Big Top peanut butter “crystal”…. I remember digging the peanut butter out of these as a child and also drinking sweet tea from them. Years back, I found a bunch of these at an auction and bought them. Then I started adding to my collection at thrift stores, yard sales, and other auctions. Today, I have a big set of the glasses and also the sherbets and love using them on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing this and helping me to remember the old labels and advertisements from my childhood!!!
(By the way, the strawberry-ade looks wonderful too!!!)
I am off to the kitchen to try a batch of this delicious sounding beverage! I will be using fresh frozen sugar free berries I have been putting up all season! Sure hope it looks and tastes as good as yours does! Thanks for a wonderful new way for me to use up all my berries!
This was absolutely delicious and a very special and refreshing treat for the 4th of July. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
Oh Christy…my word girl! I’m sipping on a glass of this right now and me and hubby LOVE it. Even though I try to avoid artificial sweeteners I had to give this a go. I had some strawberries that were just about to go bad I needed to use up and this was the perfect way to do it. Used the Wal-Mart brand drink mix and it’s great.
Thanks!!
I recognized the peanut butter glasses immediately. My family has smaller ones the size of dessert glasses–perfect size for ice cream!
Wow I’m gonna have to make that. I found some strawberries at the store for a 1.00 and I have to use them so I might make this along with my strawberry shortcake.