With the temperature warming up as this quarter comes to an end, take advantage of the sun’s natural rays to make “sun tea” – a refreshing and easy-to-make summer beverage.
What you’ll need:
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- glass jars with lids (Mason jars or spaghetti sauce jars work well)
- lemons
- fresh mint
- distilled water
- tea of your choice
Step 1:
Sterilize the jars by washing them thoroughly with soap and warm water. This is important because the temperature needed to make sun tea provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Cut the lemons into thin slices.
Step 2:
Add a few lemon slices and fresh mint leaves to each jar. You can change these ingredients to include fruits such as peach slices or berries.
Step 3:
Add three or more tea bags to each jar and fill to the top with water. It is better to use more tea since you can water it down later if it is too strong after brewing in the sun. Black teas work well when making sun tea because they are versatile over ice and have a summery, floral taste.
Step 4:
Set the jars outside in direct sunlight for a minimum of two hours. The higher the outdoor temperature, the quicker the tea will be done. Check the tea after every few hours. The darker the tea, the stronger it will be.
When you decide that the tea is to your desired strength, remove the tea bags, lemon and mint. If you store the tea in a refrigerator, it will last from three to five days. Add honey or sugar to sweeten the tea.