Sun Tea

I think that if they found a way to bottle up the essence of the South in liquid form, that liquid would be Sweet Tea.  It is very easy to make and very refreshing to drink.  The other day while barbecuing, I made a gallon of it.  All you need is a gallon jar.  I used one that we normally put raw milk in.  To the jar you'll want to fill it with water and then add some tea bags.  In this case I used 2 Community Coffee brand Family size tea bags and 2 regular sized tea bags.  I sloshed the tea bags around a bit to make sure the tea was saturated with water and set the jar out in full sun.

Then all it requires is a little patience.

Making Sweet Tea

Check the tea from time to time, but in a few hours, your tea will be done.  I just judge it by the color. 


Time for Tea!

We sweeten the tea with some fresh local honey and add some lemon slices.  Normally, a sprig or two of mint is refreshing.  We have a lot of fresh mint growing by the back patio specifically for this.  Today, I wanted to try something a little different, so I pulled some leaves off of a lemon balm plant that we have growing in a pot, squeezed it with my fingers to release the oil (lemon balm smells great!), and muddled it around on the bottom of the glass before pouring some crushed ice and then poured the sun brewed sweet tea over it.

The perfect glass of sweet tea

The glass will get these little droplets of condensation on the sides.  Ahhhh!  A simple Southern pleasure.  A glass of Sweet Tea is like an elixir to cure the effects of the summer heat.  Enjoy!