Truffula Tree Juice Recipe
But those trees! Those trees!
Those Truffula Trees!
All my life I'd been searching
for trees such as these.
The touch of their tufts
was much softer than silk.
And they had the sweet smell
of fresh butterfly milk.
- "The Lorax"
The Once-ler saw those colorful Truffula Trees and immediately thought of knitting a Thneed. But, while I have used Truffula Trees as decoration for my child's room and even inspiration for a hat, I didn't think a food version - although the story clearly states the trees produce food- until I was planning my child's Dr. Seuss birthday party.
I have mixed cotton candy and lemonade before for another one of my kids' parties. I originally got the idea from a drink at T.G.I. Friday's called the Pink Punk Cosmo. At the restaurant, you are served a glass full of cotton candy. The server then pours the cosmopolitan mix from a shaker over the cotton candy, so the puff dissolves into the drink. For the kiddie party, I had clear cups filled with cotton candy, then poured lemonade into the cups as the kids watched in awe.
At some point while planning the Seuss party, I realized I could repurpose this idea. The cotton candy resembles those soft, silky tufts of the Truffula Trees. Butterfly milk would taste sugar and spring. And, Truffula trunks are striped just like straws.
Because I wanted the juice to start off green like the grass, I thought it would be best switch to limeade for the Truffula Tree Juice recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 Limes
- 1 Lemon
- 1 cup Sugar
- 5 cups Water
- 1 bag Cotton Candy
- For easier juicing, first roll each lime and lemon on the counter while applying medium pressure. Then, cut each in half and twist on a juicer. This should provide you with about 1 cup of juice.
- While juicing, heat one cup of water and the sugar over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved, stirring occasionally. This creates a syrup so the sugar doesn't sink to the bottom of the pitcher. I also like to lightly scent the syrup by placing the first squeezed lime in the in the pot as the syrup is forming.
- Pour both the juice and the syrup in a pitcher. Add the rest of the water and stir. To make the juice greener, add one drop of green food coloring. Chill until ready to serve. If serving immediately, use one less cup of water and add about 12 regular ice cubes.
- Serve in clear cups so children can easily see the green juice and the color change when the cotton candy is added. Place a yellow-striped straw in each cup. Carefully pull a handful of cotton candy out of the bag, and place on top of the straw, not letting the straw poke completely through- unless, of course, you want to eat a mistake!
- Serve to the children, instructing them to turn their straws upside down and stir in the Truffula tuft. Watch their amazement.
See also:
- Dr. Seuss books inspire party theme for young children
Ideas for creating a Dr. Seuss theme party including games, food and favors. - Easy hat crafts honor Dr. Seuss
Some schools may let kids wear hats that are crazy or show their love of Dr. Seuss books for Read Across America Day. There are probably supplies already at home to easily make a hat from scratch.
