One of my latest successful experiments has been making iced tea from the abundance of fresh herbs in the garden. I was gifted a one-liter pitcher for making iced tea or fruit-infused water. All the goodies are placed in a plastic mesh cylinder which is then screwed onto the lid. The pitcher is filled with boiling water and then the lid placed on and left to brew for 20-30 minutes. There is also a solid cylinder that can be filled with water and frozen, so when the mesh cylinder is removed (after brewing is done) the frozen tube can be screwed onto the lid and the whole thing popped into the fridge.
So far I have tried a mixture of lemongrass, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint and stevia for an Asian-influenced tea that was flavorful and refreshing. I tore up 2 Thai basil leaves, 1 Vietnamese mint, and 2 stevia leaves, then crushed one whole stalk of lemongrass and just chucked it all in with 3 teabags. I let it sit for about a half hour and then chilled in the fridge. Poured over ice with a squeeze of lemon and voila, fantastic iced tea. I may try putting a couple lemon slices or maybe just some zest in with the brew mix next time to see what that does. I’ve also tried just regular old mint and stevia with green tea which was good as well.
I’ve browsed around for a few more ideas, I look forward to trying these homemade iced tea varieties:
- Lemon, basil and ginger
- Mint, basil and lime with cucumber
- Thai iced tea: black tea with star anise, cardamom pods and honey, with coconut milk stirred in before serving
- Thai basil and lemongrass with fresh squeezed grapefruit (so grateful to have an abundance of all of these things at hand!)
Mmmm, off to brew something new!
We Grew That 