Homemade Raspberry Iced Tea

"Iced tea is too pure and natural a creation not to have been invented as soon as tea, ice, and hot weather crossed paths." -John Egerton

Mr. Egerton had it right; no hot, sticky, summer day would be complete without a tall glass of iced tea. Iced tea ranks right up there with lemonade as one of the best thirst-quenching summer drinks. But besides being deliciously satisfying, tea (especially green tea) is very high in antioxidants, which help your cells to regenerate and repair. And since tea is relatively low in caffeine, it won't dehydrate you like sodas, iced coffee, or alcoholic beverages.

The tea recipe that I am going to share with you today is a favorite of ours, and my husband requests it every summer. I prefer to use green tea since it provides more health benefits, but any kind of tea could be substituted.

Raspberry Iced Tea

Ingredients:

4 Quarts water
1 1/2 Cups sugar or 1 Cup honey
12 ounces (3 Cups) raspberries
16 (1.8 g) green tea bags or 2/3 Cup loose leaf green tea
1/4 Cup lemon juice

Combine water and sugar/honey in a large, non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar/honey. Remove pan from heat and add the raspberries, tea, and lemon juice. Stir and cover. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain out raspberries and tea. Pour hot tea into a heat-proof container, or allow the tea to cool if using a glass tea jug. Refrigerate. Serve tea with ice cubes and lemon wedges if desired.

If you would prefer to make a smaller batch of this tea, just cut the ingredient amounts in half. For a little something different, you may want to try adding some peppermint sprigs or lemon balm with the green tea.

This is a very tasty and refreshing tea for hot, summer days. Stay cool this summer and get all the benefits of antioxidants by drinking some raspberry iced tea.

Homemade Drain Cleaner

To avoid clogging and bad odors, sink and tub drains should be periodically cleaned. A once a month cleaning with a non-toxic, homemade cleaner prevents needing a stronger, usually sodium hydroxide (lye) based, cleaner to remove clogs. Sodium hydroxide is extremely caustic, and will damage the lungs if inhaled, burn skin and eyes, and can be fatal if swallowed. In addition, the heat generated by using sodium hydroxide can soften PVC pipes, and damage old, corroded pipes. It also changes the pH of water and can cause fish kills. A much nicer alternative to this harsh chemical is the simple combination of baking soda and vinegar, followed with boiling water. When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they foam and expand, cleaning the sides of your pipes and dissolving fatty acids. The boiling water then washes it all away. This method is a great way to use up the box of baking soda in your frig that is not longer doing a good job of d...

Soapmakers: Why You Shouldn't Use Vinegar if You Come into Contact with Lye

It was one of the first things I learned when I began making my own soap; I read it in books and on the internet: "Always keep a jug of vinegar on hand when you are working with lye. Vinegar neutralizes lye." Soapers, have you heard this? Do you practice the habit of keeping vinegar nearby when you make your soaps? So did I, until recently, when I read an interesting post on a soap forum, and then decided to research the claim myself.

Why Did My Chicken Lay That Strange Egg? {Decoding 10 Chicken Laying Issues}

What do you got? A huge egg with two yolks in it? A wrinkly misshapen egg? An egg with a soft shell? Or perhaps the all-inclusive just plain weird looking egg? Whatever it is, I hope to help clear up some of the mystery behind: Why Did My Chicken Lay That Strange Egg?

We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Search This Blog