Just below the location where our garden used to be is a low spot that is on the “project list.” It’s a one-of-these-days kind of place where we hope to eventually have a dock leading out over the pond. I went down there earlier just to see what all was going on. What I found was this HUGE patch of mint growing rampantly. I suppose it is there from the various sprigs that I threw down there over the years as I thinned it out in the garden. I found peppermint, chocolate mint, and spearmint. There may be others, but I’ll leave that to the snakes and other assorted bugs to determine. In the meantime, I’m brewing up some Mint-Lemon Tea and some Mint Lemonade that will be cooling and soothing drinks to have handy during these hot summer days. It’s a good way to spend a few minutes out on the porch with Perfect Girl while she’s here for Nana Camp.
Mint-Lemon Tea
3/4 gallon boiling water
1/4 gallon cold water
2 cups freshly picked , washed and packed mint leaves
12 small tea bags or 6-8 family size tea bags (we like it strong) (I have sometimes used flavored teabags, such as lemon or raspberry.)
1 – 1 1/2 pints sugar*
1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
(I only use about 4 ounces of the 6 available. Suit your tastes.)
Add tea bags to boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Allow to steep until cooled. Add enough of the cold water to a blender along with the mint leaves so that the leaves can be processed until well blended. Allow to sit in the cold water for about 15-20 minutes before straining. Add the mint water to the tea water (remove tea bags), add sugar and lemonade concentrate. Stir thoroughly to dissolved sugar and concentrate. Add remaining cold water to make a full gallon.
*Hubby and I usually drink unsweetened tea that we sweetened with artificial sweetener. I make our mint-lemon tea without the sugar. (Picture courtesy of Roebling Tea Room, Brooklyn)
Mint Lemonade**
2 cups fresh mint leaves, washed and packed
1 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar (adjust to your tastes)
2 quarts cold water
Place the mint leaves, lemon juice and sugar in a blender. Blend well and strain. Use part of the water to rinse the blender; strain what you use into a pitcher along with the remaining water. Mix well and serve over crushed ice garnished with a thin slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.
**This recipe supposedly comes from Miss Hullings, a well-known cafeteria in downtown St. Louis. I can’t vouch for the cafeteria, but I can for the mint lemonade!
Check back tomorrow for Red Skelton and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Hi from Belgium. Need to keep these drinks in mind because they sound like a really refreshing summer drink.
I love mint tea–husband says it tastes like toothpaste! 🙂
I LOVE mint in my iced tea!!! I plant it in pots so it doesn’t take over the garden.
These both sound so refreshing and the recipes are timely for 4th of July revelers :-). Thank you for sharing them with us. Have a wonderful holiday.
This sounds so refreshing and I have tons of mint in the garden! I switched to artificial sweetener in my tea also, but I still have the sugar version when I visit kin.
Happy 4th!
Mint….I love mint. I have it planted in my garden. Great recipes. Happy 4th:)repse
My Mint has gone crazy just the past few daze! Thanks for the recipe ideas!
Have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous 4th!
~Really Rainey~
Your mint tea sounds so refreshing! I have a large pot of mint, so always looking for ways to use it. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your crockpot event sounds great. I do love using my crockpot for weeknight meals so count me in! Hope you will join me for my little Ice Cream Social next weekened. I see you did a recent ice cream related post. You could link that one or any other you’d like :-).
This sounds wonderfully refreshing! Have a great 4th.
Oh, thanks for the mint recipes! I’ve got mint growing like crazy and stomping all over the rest of the garden — now I have a good reason for hacking it down and using it! sounds delicious.
Loved your 4th of July post with its Pledge of Allegiance story – excellent. Thank you!
Cass
I have an overflow of mint these days… I’ll give this a try!
Thanks
YUM! Sounds delish! Thanks for entering my giveaway! 🙂
WE love mint! And it is sublime in lemonade. I tried my hand at Soft Shell Crabs this week. Hope you’ll stop by the recipe exchange here:
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/07/friday-feasts-soft-shell-crab.html