Garden-Fresh Mint Iced Tea (apple mint tea)
As soon as my apple mint starts growing in the spring, I run to make this comforting garden-fresh mint iced tea. It's sweetened with raw sugar or raw honey to taste.
Equipment
- ½ gallon mason jar with tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed apple mint leaves or any other mint (except Cat mint), flavor will vary
- ½ gallon filtered water
- ¼ cup raw sugar or raw honey, sweeten to taste
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ lemon, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Pick 1 packed cup of mint leaves and rinse well to ensure they are free of garden debris.
- In a large stock pot, bring 1/2 gallon of filtered water to a boil, then remove from the heat.Add the tea leaves to the pot along with the raw sugar (if using raw honey, this step can wait until after steeping the hot tea so as to not lose the benefits of raw honey).Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then taste to check sweetness level. Add more sugar to taste if necessary.
- Cover the pot with a lid and let steep at room temperature for 2 hours, then remove the tea leaves and compost or discard.Stir in the lemon juice, then strain the mixture through a sieve and funnel, straight into a glass 1/2 gallon mason jar.Refrigerate for up to 1 week.For serving, fill a glass with ice and a slice of lemon, then pour over the chilled tea. Enjoy!