Sun Tea

Growing up, summer at Grandma and Grandpa's meant roller-skating in the driveway with my sister, watching Shirley Temple movies, tinkering in Grandpa's workshop, crafting with Grandma and watching Grandpa put out a huge glass jar to make sun tea in the morning. His was filled with water and Lipton tea bags.

Now that I have four kiddos of my own, I have carried on the tradition, but with plants we find here at our farm. Although you could easily boil water on the stovetop, there's something special about letting the crushed plants steep in the sunshine. The time you wait only makes the final cup more enjoyable.

The kids and I head out for a morning walk to pick some of our favorites to make a concoction that is unique every time. Then we seal the lid and let the plants do that magical infusion with the help of the glorious summer sun.

There are plenty of plants just outside your door that you can use to make a refreshing drink and great memories with your kids. Be sure to select plants from land that you know has not been sprayed with pesticides, make sure to leave some plants behind (do not over-harvest), and, of course, identify all plants with 100% certainty before using them in your tea. Not sure how to do that? Ask around! Seek out a mentor or a friend who gardens and has extra mint to share. You might be surprised how many gardeners or nature lovers can identify common “weeds” to use for tea. You could also reach out to your local Master Gardener's group to see if anyone could volunteer some time helping you identify plants. Or, if you're not up for picking plants from your yard, lots of these plants can be purchased and added to your sun tea with the same lovely results.

Plants to experiment with:

• Red and white clover
• Lemon balm
• Rose petals
• Sweet cicely
• Chamomile
• Hibiscus
• Pineapple weed
• Dried stinging nettle
• Raspberry leaf
• Mint 
• Elder flower

Fill a large glass jar (maybe an old pickle jar) with cold water and plants and leave it outdoors in a sunny spot to infuse for 4 to 8 hours. The longer you leave it to steep, the stronger it will be. I usually use about 1 cup of plant matter for 1 gallon of water, but each plant will vary in strength, so have fun tinkering with the amounts to make a tea that you love.

You can add a squirt of honey to encourage newbie tea drinkers to have a taste.