refreshing lavender honey infusion

I don't know about you, but I get sick of drinking water in the summer when it's so hot. And there's only so much iced tea a person can drink. I've been trying to come up with other options, which led to today's experiment. I had a bunch of lavender growing and couldn't figure out what to do with it, so I decided to try a beverage infusion with that and honey, inspired by honey lavender ice cream I recently tried. It turned out great - a healthy refreshing drink for only 20 calories per eight ounce glass. Here's how to make it.

First, gather a giant glass jar, fresh lavender leaves, organic honey, and a lime or two. Next, separate the lavender leaves from the stems and measure 1/2 cup of leaves, packed down.

Put these into the jar and mash them against the edge with a big spoon to release some of the oils.

Add 16 cups of water to the jar. Stir well, swirling the leaves around. Put the lid on the jar and place it outside in the sun for about 8 hours. Bring inside.

Strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove leaves. Put 5 Tablespoons of honey into the liquid, stirring to dissolve. Place the jar in the fridge to chill.

Sip over ice, garnishing with a lavender sprig is desired. You may want to squeeze a lime wedge into the glass for another flavor option. With or without the lime, you will find happiness in every sip. Sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy!