Chilled Canadian Wild Blueberry and Maple Lemonade with Fresh Garden Thyme

Combine 3 cups blueberries, the maple syrup, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups (450 g) wild or regular blueberries, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup, preferably amber
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 6 for garnish
• 1 cup (240 ml) fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
• 4 cups (960 ml) cold still or sparkling water
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Plenty of ice, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine 3 cups blueberries, the maple syrup, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
2. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, pressing the berries with the back of a spoon, until they burst completely and the liquid turns deep indigo.
3. Add the 8 thyme sprigs, cover, and let steep off the heat for 10 minutes. Thyme is more forgiving than mint, but pull it before it starts to taste medicinal.
4. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids, then discard the pulp and thyme. Chill the base until fully cold, about 1 hour, or set the bowl in an ice bath for 15 minutes.
5. Stir the lemon juice into the cold blueberry base, then pour into a large pitcher.
6. Add the cold water and stir well. Taste and adjust: more lemon if it tastes flat, a spoonful more maple if it bites too hard.
7. Add the lemon wheels and the reserved blueberries to the pitcher and refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the flavors settle together.
8. Fill glasses with ice, pour, and finish each with a thyme sprig. If you are using sparkling water, add it only at the moment of serving so the fizz survives.
9. Wild blueberries grow low to the ground across the Canadian Shield and the barrens of Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes, and they are a fundamentally different fruit from the cultivated kind — smaller, darker, and far more concentrated in flavor. August is peak picking season, when families still head out with rakes and buckets the way they have for generations. Sweetening with maple rather than sugar is not just a nod to Canadian pantries; the syrup's faint caramel edge gives the lemonade a depth that plain sugar cannot reach.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 145 kcal
• Protein: 1g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 37g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 30g
• Sodium: 45mg