Use herbs from your garden to brew a refreshing herbal tea using fresh orange mint, pineapple mint, lemon verbena, and stevia. It's an easy garden-to-table drink made by the power of the summer sun.
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We have so many different herbs growing in our yard this year. Some I'm growing to use in my shop and some I'm growing for culinary purposes. Just about all of my herbs have done really well this season - especially my orange mint. I bought the plant last year and moved it to a bigger pot this year. It has flourished and grown into a large, bushy plant. I can't seem to use it, or dry it, fast enough.
But there was one thing I really wanted to make this summer and I knew orange mint would be perfect for it - sun tea. With so much orange mint growing, I decided to clip some to make this traditional summertime beverage. Along with refreshing and citrusy orange mint, I added other herbs from our garden like lemon verbena, pineapple mint, and stevia to my tea. This combination tastes like summer. It has a minty and slightly fruity flavor with a subtle hint of sweetness.
Let's Break Down Our Herbal Sun Tea Ingredients
Before we get started, let's talk about why I chose the herbs in this sun tea recipe. These are fairly common herbs to find in garden centers and local greenhouses in late spring. By summer, you should have quite a bit to clip back and use in different recipes.
- Orange Mint: Orange mint is the star of this recipe. Not only because I have so much of it growing, but because it really does have a delicious flavor. While it's cool and refreshing, unlike traditional garden mint, orange mint does have notes of orange. It's one of my favorite mint varieties to grow.
- Pineapple Mint: Pineapple mint is another one of my favorite mint varieties. It definitely has a tropical fruitiness to it with a soft minty flavor. It's nice tossed into fruit salads or used in beverages, like this sun tea.
- Lemon Verbena: If you're a lemon lover like I am, you need to grow lemon verbena in your garden. It has an intense lemon flavor and tastes very similar to lemon zest. If you don't have lemon verbena, you can use lemon balm. The lemon flavor won't be as intense and might be a little more "green."
- Stevia: Instead of adding sugar or honey to my sun tea, I'm using stevia that's growing in my strawberry patch. We're not using much of though because stevia is so much sweeter that sugar. You'll only need a few leaves to sweeten your tea.
Note that this particular tea combination won't change color in the sun. But you'll still get a delicious, cooling flavor combination that's perfect for sipping during warm, sunny days.
How to Make Orange Mint Herbal Sun Tea
Sun tea is such an easy way to use up the herbs growing in your garden (this recipe is great if you grew a tea garden). Just add a combination of herbs in a jar, pour in some water, and let the sun create a smooth and flavorful beverage. Make sure not to let your tea steep for more than 4 hours so bacteria doesn't form.
The best time to pick your herbs is in the morning before the heat starts to kick in. This will keep the flavors fresh. Snip the herbs and rinse under cool water. Gently pat dry with paper towels.
Now, we're going to release those natural oils. Gently rub the leaves between your fingers (you'll notice how the herbs get fragrant). Place the herbs inside of a glass pitcher or a couple of mason jars.
Pour filtered water over the herbs and cover.
Set the jars or pitcher in a sunny spot for about 2-4 hours. If you'd like to make this indoors, you could also let the tea steep in the fridge overnight.
Strain the herbs and store the tea in the fridge until it's chilled.
Once you're ready to serve, add ice to glasses and pour the herbal tea over the ice. If desired, garnish with orange or pineapple mint leaves, or lemon verbena leaves.
Orange Mint Herbal Sun Tea
Ingredients
- 2 quarts filtered water
- 6 springs fresh orange mint
- 4 sprigs fresh pineapple mint
- 6 fresh lemon verbena leaves
- 2 fresh stevia leaves
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Rinse herbs well with cold water and gently pat dry between paper towels.
- Lightly rub herbs between your fingers to release natural oils. Place into clean mason jars or a glass pitcher.
- Pour filtered water over the herbs and cover.
- Set jars or pitcher in a sunny place and allow herbs to infuse 2-4 hours.
- Strain herbs and refrigerate tea until chilled.
- Fill glasses with ice and pour tea over top. Garnish with fresh herb leaves, if desired.
I have been making sun tea since I was a kid. It's such a fun summer tradition. Keep it stored in the fridge in airtight containers. It's best to enjoy your sun-brewed tea within a day or two.
Did you make this Orange Mint Herbal Sun Tea recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
