You know all those things we country folks have grown up doing, that when we mention to a city (or even suburb) person they look at us cross-eyed? Well, making sun tea is one of those things. It’s so simple, and yet many people have never done it. So for all my world-travelling, academia-dwelling, urbanly-hip friends, HERE is the easiest way to make iced tea:
Sun Tea
You need:
- glass jar with tight-fitting lid
- your favorite tea bags (with or without strings)
- water
- a sunny day
Yep, that’s it. Here’s how:
Fill your container with fresh, cold water, almost up to the top. Place 2-3 tea bags in jar. If they have strings, hang them over the side of your jar. Place the lid on top and carry it outside. Put the jar in a sunny place such as your deck, patio, on top of a picnic table, etc. – and walk away! I like to do this around 11 a.m. or noon, when the sun is almost at its highest.
In 2-4 hours, depending on how hot the sun is, your tea will be “sun-brewed” to your desired strength.
Bring the jar inside, remove tea bags and stir in your favorite honey, raw sugar or other sweetener. Refrigerate until tea is cold, then serve.
I like to use an old-fashioned half-gallon glass milk jug for my sun tea, but any large glass container would do – a large canning jar or juice jar with lid work well.
PLEASE NOTE: You do not want to use plastic. Warm plastic = possibility of toxins leaching into your tea. Not good.
This is a super-simple way to make great iced tea during the hottest summer days when you don’t want to heat up your stovetop. Just let the sun do all the work. Enjoy!
Still thirsty? Check out our selection of coffees, teas, soda pop and other refreshments.
