When The Old Mushroom Farm Gives You Lemons… Make Lemonade!

We’re sharing Nanna’s famous lemon cordial recipe—a simple, zesty treat you can whip up at home or during your holiday at The Old Mushroom Farm. 

Because as they say, when The Old Mushroom Farm gives you lemons… Make lemonade!

Who is Nanna, you ask? Nanna is our beloved grandmother, Linda Crooks, Nick Crooks’ mum. This lemonade syrup, or ‘lemon drink’, as Nanna calls it, is a Crooks pantry staple.

It’s late in citrus season, yet our lemon trees at The Old Mushroom Farm are still heavy with fruit. A branch even snapped under the weight of all those glorious yellow fruit! Visitors are welcome to harvest a basket of lemons (for free!) and turn them into a batch or two of this refreshing cordial. Pro tip: bottled up, it makes a thoughtful homemade gift.

Nanna’s Easy Lemon Cordial Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

• 1 cup sugar

• Optional: ½ tsp lemon zest (for extra zing)

  
  

Tip: This recipe follows a simple ratio—equal parts sugar to lemon juice—so you can easily scale up or down. This quantity fills an empty wine bottle quite nicely.

Method:

1. In a large pot, combine lemon juice and sugar.

2. Gently bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves (about 10 minutes). Avoid boiling—this keeps the fresh lemon flavour bright.

3. Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour into a clean bottle.

   
   

Store unopened in a cool pantry for several months. Once opened, keep refrigerated.

To serve, add a tot of cordial to a glass, top with cold water, ice, and a sprig of mint. A sunny afternoon, a shady tree, and a sip of Nanna’s cordial—it’s the taste of The Old Mushroom Farm in a glass.

Let us know how your Old Mushroom Farm homemade lemonade turns out!

Something that we love about being in the KZN Midlands is the abundance—fertile soil, plenty of rainfall and steady temperatures—the produce that grows here tends to be bigger and juicier than normal. Perhaps we’re biased, but the seasons give generously, and this spirit of plenty shapes our ethos in the Community Food Garden at The Old Mushroom Farm. The trees are heavy with fruit, the beds are brimming with herbs and greens, we invite you to pick what’s plentiful. Take a wander through the garden and see what’s ripe for the picking.