Saturday, September 8, 2012

Summer Ain't Over Yet!

Nothing tastes better than a nice, warm glass of half-and-half lemonade and berry tea. But as the days grow colder and shorter, all of our summer traditions have to be put on hold once again. School may be back in and homework is taking over, but HOLD ON!

Summer's not over yet! The autumn solstice does come along for at least a week. So, it's time to do some of those summer things while you still can! One of those summer things? Sun tea!

I was reading Our Goodwin Journey, and I saw a post on how to make classic summer sun tea. My reaction was, "Well, what's so special about tea that I left outside? Can't I just heat some up in the microwave or on the stove?"

Yes, you can just put a cup of tea in the microwave or heat up a pot on the stove. But trust me, making sun tea is not something you'll regret. It can be healthier, it tastes crisper, it's already warm, and no sugar added (unless you want to add some to your drink). What could possibly be better? Trust me, you'll taste the difference.

However, there is one hazard that comes along with this. Lukewarm water can carry some kind of amoeba that long story short can make you sick. Simply heat up the water in the microwave for about three minutes so it will boil and then use it, and you're fine.

So, let's get started!

You will need about five tea bags for a big jar and three for a small one, making eight if you'll be making both (which I highly recommend). I used Lipton tea here, but today (this is an older photo) I used one bag of berry tea along with it. So, that being said, don't be afraid to use some interesting flavors along with it!
Lemon juice is what will make it taste like half-and-half lemonade and tea (especially when you add sugar to your glass or pitcher). It also gives that crisp, strong taste.
Make sure you boil in the microwave (or stove, if you have time to waste) five cups of water, approximately. That will give you the amount of sterilized water you need, or distilled, or whatever you call it.
You need an outdoors. Which, shouldn't be too hard to find. Your yard must be on Earth for the right result. So, sorry if you live on Gallifrey. But if you have enough money for a computer, most likely you have enough money for a house. And even without one, you've probably been outside before. You're going to need the outdoors to make sun tea, hence the word 'sun.'
Leave your tea outside for about four to five hours, preferably from 10 am. to 3p.m. or 12p.m. to 4p.m. And voila! You have nice, warm sun tea/lemonade! Pour it over some ice or, if you desire, sugar. And htere you go, it's summer all over again!

I think I might post a different recipe for tea every season. A cinnamon kind in autumn, a cold-fighting one in winter, an herbal one in spring. What do you think?

Drink it up, before "winter comes and summer forgets me."
 

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