You've not truly experienced summer until you make sun tea!

Ok, maybe I am a bit biased in this statement, as it holds so many memories and nostalgia. But for me, and many others, this age-old tradition was an essential part of growing up, especially in the summer!

And to this day, I still love making sun tea and enjoying it on a hot summer afternoon.

It lets me journey back to the past, when modern luxuries were not as available and we had no choice but to live the slow life. I had to wait patiently for my mother’s delicious sun tea to be finally ready!

Funny enough, these days, I am longing for that slow life, rather than it being a case of “you have to”. Now I want to!

And making this refreshing peppermint sun tea is the perfect way to enjoy simplicity and slow living.

It’s so easy to make, and the perfect activity for the family!

what is sun tea?

The general idea of sun tea is to make a large batch of cold or iced tea without turning on your stovetop.

Instead of using electricity, gas, or wood to warm/boil your tea, you use the warm rays from the sun! Or you could just place it in a hot spot, such as a windowsill.

Sun-brewed tea typically reaches around 130° Fahrenheit, which helps extract all the flavors from your teabags or herbs used.

You simply add water and tea bags (or in the case, mint) to a glass jar and let it steep for a few hours. Generally, 2-3 hours of sunshine is enough, but I like to let mine stand for 24 hours so it can really develop all the flavors and get a nice dark color.

how to make peppermint sun tea

For this sun tea, I used fresh mint, as we have an abundance, instead of tea bags. It is so refreshing!

You’ll Need

A large gallon or quart jar
Fresh mint ( about 2 cups if using a gallon ) You can also just add tea bags to a jar and let them steep in the sun too
The power of the sun ( no electricity or energy required)
Delicious well water ( or filtered water)
Raw honey to sweeten

How to:

Fill your jar with water.
Add fresh peppermint.
Let it sit in the sun and moon for 24 full hours (the mint is anti-fungal, so it will not mold). The longer it sits, the darker the tea will be.
Remove the herbs when done and sweeten as desired.
Pour over a glass filled with ice, add a slice of lemon if you wish, and enjoy!

a few notes:

A glass jar is preferable to plastic when brewing sun tea, as the heat from the sun can cause the plastic to possibly leach some chemicals into it.
Phthalates, commonly present in plastic, are known endocrine disruptors that are not good for you. So instead, use glass to take that extra preventative step for your health!
You can use sugar instead of honey. Mix your sugar with hot water to dissolve it before adding to the tea, or if the sun has really heated the tea up, you can add the sugar and it should dissolve.
Add your sweetener to the tea after you have brought it in from the sun.
Since you didn't use boiling water, refrigerate the tea and drink it within a day or two. It will not keep as well as iced tea made from boiling water.
Friendly disclaimer: Making sun tea is a very natural process, and the possibility of bacteria being present is always there since the water doesn’t reach boiling point.
If you are a healthy person with a healthy immune system, go for it! However if your immunity is compromised, be cautious ;-)

Try this age-old tradition this summer, friend, it’s so fun and delicious!

Not only is mint tasty and refreshing, but it also has so many health benefits. It can help soothe an upset stomach, calm inflammation, and aid digestion. I also like to use a mint vapor rub for Ava to ease congestion.

Mint is an inexpensive addition to any garden and is great for use in your household. Let’s incorporate more herbs, flowers, and plants into our lives!

14 Edible flowers to delight your palate and plate

Love, Annette xx