It’s About Time…for Sun Tea!
sun tea in my back yard
I know, I know. Where the hell have I been? Well my day job is bleeding away the moments I usually use to research stuff for the cottage. It’s been, how you say, sucky. But all that’s going to change soon because today, to kick off the summer, I said, “Sayonara day job!”
So now it’s time to turn on the Will Smith, get out the rain-bird, and make sun tea!
What? You say “Em, that sounds delicious. I would like to make some sun tea of my own and also to quit my day job.”
Ok first, go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and get this awesome sun tea jar for a mere $25 bucks. (Target has a similar one for about $30 if you prefer.) These things also come in plastic but the plastic will not survive the dishwasher. Consider yourselves warned.
Now make some tea. Here are a couple of modcottage recipes:
Grapefruit Mint Iced Tea
- 5 lipton tea bags, strings tied in a knot
- Drink Jar filled with water
- Giant handful of mint pulled from the garden which it now over-runs like the weed it is
- 3 large strips of grapefruit peel — run a flame over the colored side to release the oils before droping in the water
Carry the jar full of stuff out to the sunniest part of your yard and park it there for 3 hours-ish or until the tea is a color you like. We shoot for darkity, dark, dark and let ice cubes dilute it.
Blue Borage Tea
Ok so blue borage is this pretty little plant whose leaves taste and smell like cucumber. We have it in our garden where it grows easily. Or, you know, you could use cucumber.
- 5 earl grey tea bags, strings tied in a knot
- Drink jar filled with water
- small handful of blue borage wrapped loosely in cheese cloth (The leaves are fuzzy. Fuzzy = yucky in the throat. Cheese cloth avoids the issue.)
Haul the whole magoo out into the yard as per above.
Now you’re cookin’ with gas! Or cooking with sun. Or brewin’ with sun. Which I guess is technically brewin’ with gas. Now just sit back with a glass in the shade and try to get the Fresh Prince out of your head as you mentally compose your “I quit” email. It will all come together.
Couldn’t you just use any type of jug/jar with a lid?
hey melissa, YES! you totally could use a regular old jar! I just dig the little easy-serve spigot at the bottom of these beverage dispensery ones. If you use a mason type jar just adjust the number of tea bags.
Woohoo! Thanks for the great new recipes! And, so glad to see you back…screw the crappy day job!
mmmm…sun tea. I use one of those returnable glass milk jugs. But it is harder to clean. Unfortunately, it’s been overcast and raining here for the past few days and I haven’t been able to make a new batch. Thanks for the recipes.
perfect. On my list of things to do this summer was figure out how to make a great sun tea. As soon as we get some sun around here I’ll use one of your recipies and check that one off! Thanks!!!
Also, I’m with Laura, screw the day job!
oh how i love mint sun tea!! you have me all atwitter about adding grapefruit. what a terrific suggestion.
pampered chef makes an incredible ‘quick stir’ pitcher that has a plunger thingy in it to stir up the contents. usually i put the mint (and now flamed grapefruit peel!) in and then add the plunger lid. the mint always stays in and never finds its way into my glass. (i’m fanatical about only liquid in my drinks. don’t ask. i have issues. i know.)
now i’m thirsty…thanks. : )
ok, ok. i’ll throw it out there, even if i feel stupid doing so. what is a rain-bird?
Ooh, I’ve never thought of flaming the peel. I will do so but substitute another citrus fruit, as Lipitor (stupid genetics!) + grapefruit = badness. But they can’t stop me from using my pink grapefruit Method cleaner. Mwah-ha-ha!
Glass jars are back??!!! Yay! Back when I got my first place with property, I had an early summer hankerin’ for sun tea. (My mom made it everyday during the summer….errrm, or more likely called me from work to tell me to make some.)
Anyway, my search for a sun tea jar of my own led me to plastic, plastic, plastic. That’s all there was. I bought one, but rarely used it since we all know that cooking liquid in plastic in the sun is really not the best idea.
Must get my butt to Target for a new jar NOW!
rock on everybody with breaking out the sun tea! and thanks for the cheers on quitting the day job!
for hellohahanarf, a rain-bird is that sprinkler that you jam in the ground that goes chik-chik-chik-chik chikachikachikachikachikachikachikachika…the perfect soundtrack to summer.
I have a jar like that which I procured last year at Tuesday Morning and I love it. I may have to get another one though because I was thinking it might make a great container for my homemade liquid laundry detergent.
I seem to be really good at making sun tea (as if it’s a skill or something) but I can’t stand tea. Another of life’s bitter ironies.
hope you are happy…this weekend i dropped $30 or $35 on a lovely and rather huge made in italy pitcher like the one shown. damn thing is gorgeous. but i had run out of tea bags so it is now holding a costco sized box of large milk bones and sitting on my corner chelf unit thingy.
yep, dog bones. sigh.
Long before I had the dental need, I kept a box of Efferdent around. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz – it’s the perfect remedy for cleaning the insides of glass jars to rid of tea stains – and also great for cleaning glass vases that have been stained when used for cut flowers. You’ll be pleased when you see the results!
Do It Best (nationwide hardware chain) has the regular sun tea jars for about $7.50. They are 120-ounce size, for five tea bags (I think). But I’ve broken two of those things, so my next one is gonna be heavier duty.