Welcome to Sunday Spin, where I bring your attention to a fellow blogger’s work, be it an article, photography, recipes, or anything that tickles my fancy. This week, welcome a recipe from Desa’s Dishes.
You can find all of my Sunday Spin mentions on my Sunday Spin Page.
When I was a kid, my mother used to make sun tea. She would throw a bunch of tea bags in a huge mayonnaise jar (I’m talking the size you can get from restaurant-supply stores) and put it out on the brick patio to “steep”. Just as often, she would make an additional batch of sun tea, but added mint leaves straight out of her herb garden.
To serve the mint iced tea, she would fill tall, narrow glasses with chipped ice, pour a dollop of simple syrup, then add the tea. A sprig of mint floating on top, and it was the perfect summer drink.
Mother’s Day made me nostalgic for mint iced tea, but I don’t keep an herb garden. I have to go buy mint–doesn’t seem right when it grows wild roadside. So, I didn’t get around to making it. Then, I found this recipe on Desa’s Dishes for mint iced tea as I was blog-surfing, and it was like a tap on the shoulder.
I must go to the farmer’s market next week and get myself some fresh mint. Jotting that down…
It’s getting to be sun tea season! One of my favorite summer drinks is iced green tea. It’s almost worth the steamy Mid-Atlantic heat to drink something that deliiously cold.
Oh, I know exactly what you mean. As long as there is something to quench my thirst, then I’m more able to handle the humid heat of NH. Not totally able, but it’s doable.
This sort of reminds me of the “tea-milk” mom used to make me when I was a kid. It’d just half a glass of tea, half a glass of milk and she’d make that for me all the time! I haven’t had any since I was a kid. I wonder if she makes that for my 8 year old sis… I’m gonna have to ask her! I’ve never tried mint tea like that but it sounds yummy!
Hi Laura,
Oh, you def need to find that out, and whether or not your sister loves it as much as you did.
Thanks for commenting!
My grandma always kept a pitcher of sugar free iced tea when I was kid. It’s not the same as this amazing recipe, but man, it tastes so delicious because it brings back all those summers of long ago.
Hi Kourtney,
Is that the infamous Grandma H you’re talking about?
Didn’t you just love opening the fridge to see that pitcher sitting there, *waiting* for you? I can’t even begin to guess how many pitchers of sun tea my mother made over all those years, but I do know we were never without tea in the summer.
Just dropping by to say thanks for visiting! What’s funny is that as I was whipping up that tea I was wondering if sun tea would have been a better idea. So now it’s my turn to take your cue.
You’re very welcome! I thought your pictures made your recipe look so delicious. If you do try the sun tea, let me know how it goes! I can’t wait to get me some mint, but it’s another week before the farmer’s market is open again. Have a super day
That’s some exotic tea!
Haha, yeah, I guess you could say that!
I’ve never heard of sun tea, it sounds delicious! Such a nice memory of your Mom.
Hi Nancy, if you like tea you should try it sometime. It’s just a neat way to make it.
Tastes really sweet!!!
I love it. Thanks for stopping by!
Not at all!
My mom used to do the exact same thing with a huge jar and she also added mint. Just thinking of it is making me nostalgic. The sun must have added special ingredients because it tasted so much better than the usual iced tea. Mint is so easy to grow too.
Hi Sheila, it’s funny how the little things take us back years! Mint is easy to grow, so I need to get my act together and just plant mint. Thanks for stopping by.
I haven’t gotten around to planting it either but you’ve inspired me to add it to the garden this year. It’s a great tasting weed-like plant and I need ones like that since I’m not a great gardener.
Yes! Any kind of weed-like plant in my garden is a benefit to me, also.