I was an occasional gum chewer before SCD, but after many years without any, I kinda wanted some. Since any gums are illegal on the SCD I decided to try fruit as a vehicle for that minty payload. I mashed some SCD ripe bananas, added some dried spearmint that I had powdered in a coffee grinder then dried the concoction in a dehydrator.

The resulting fruit leather resembles jerky more than gum, but the flavor is sure there. It’s not as sweet as the gum I remember, but I consider it a successful experiment.

I didn’t measure when I was making it, but I think the ratio of banana to mint was 7-10 bananas to 2-3 Tbs spearmint. Note that peppermint will taste completely different.

The mint takes this summertime cooler to an even cooler place.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)
1/2 cup honey
3 cups water
sprig of mint

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in a sealable, shakeable container.
2. Shake till well mixed then refrigerate.
3. Serve over ice.

Enjoy!

Try experimenting with lime juice or a mixture of lemon and lime or even grapefruit.

If you’re short of fridge space, you can make this as a concentrate by eliminating the water. Just mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water to serve.

You could also mix the concentrate with sparkling water for an extra refreshing kick.