Sun Brewed Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 teabags
- 1-quart water
- 1-quart wide mouth canning jar & lid
- 1 to 4 tablespoons sugar, optional
- 1-1/2 teaspoons to 1-tablespoon lemon juice, optional
Directions
Fill a quart jar with water. Add the teabags. Screw on the lid and set the jar in the sun. Allow the tea to brew for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the teabags. Add the sugar and lemon juice if desired. I prefer unsweetened tea, so I just use lemon. Screw on the lid and shake briskly until the sugar dissolves. Serve over tall glasses of ice.
Makes 1-quart or 2 servings; 2-cups each.
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezie.
There is some talk about Sun Tea being unsafe because the water doesn’t boil so any bacteria hiding out in the teabags reproduces in the warmth of the sun. I’ve been drinking sun tea since the 1970’s and never had a problem with it. However, if you are concerned about the safety of Sun Tea, then stick to brewed tea instead. If your tea becomes thick, cloudy or syrupy, or if you see whispy strings in it then toss it out. These are all evidence of bacterial activity.
I have tried to make Sun Tea in apple juice jars and always had trouble cleaning the jars afterwards. Now I use wide-mouthed canning jars and they are delightfully easy to wash. When I need more than 1-quart of tea, I use extra canning jars as necessary.
Since this tea brews in the sun instead of on the stove, it’s the most eco-friendly and the least expensive.
Assuming 1-tablespoon sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. Without the sugar, it’s a free food.
Per 2-cup serving : 33 Calories; trace Fat (0.3% calories from fat); trace Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 5mg Sodium.
Exchanges:1/2 Other Carbohydrates. (Assuming 1-tablespoon sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice.)