Sun Tea

One of my favorite summer things to do is to make sun tea. Sure, you can heat up water in a tea kettle, add some tea bags, brew then chill, but ho hum!

I’d much rather do it this way. It feels like a nod to a simpler time. A poo pooing to modern conveniences like electricity. 🙂

This is one of those really large mason jars. I’ve started using them lately for storing beverages. Love them. Mason jars also feel like a nod to a simpler time.

All you need to do is to add a couple of tea bags (or you can use loose tea and strain later) and fill the jar up most of the way with water. I use filtered water from my fridge. Leave some space at the top for adding ice later for a quicker cool down.

Then place the jar in the sun and leave it until it is the desired brew. Keep in mind that you will be adding ice which will water the tea down so brew it a little darker than you’d like. If you like darker tea (I don’t), you could also add more tea bags. It’s one of those things you need to play with. That’s how this making-things-from-scratch stuff goes. It’s a journey, not a recipe.

When the tea is the desired brew, add ice to bring the liquid to the top of the jar, cover it, and store it in the fridge.

I’ve been reading about the health benefits of green tea for awhile now but have found it hard to switch to it from my classic English Breakfast hot tea. I decided to try it as an iced tea and I love it! Sometimes I add a splash of almond milk to my glass of iced tea. I learned that from my daughter, Tracey, who likes her tea that way. It makes it kind of like an iced tea latte without the sugar. So that’s what you’ll find me drinking this summer, along with mint water (put mint leaves in a jar of water) or fruit-infused water (put fruit in a jar of water) or just plain ol’ water.

No sugar, I drink my iced tea without it. Just good-for-you stuff and, in this weather, I’m making and drinking a lot of it!

Stay cool.