Simpson And Vail’s Iced Tea Blend With Basil And Blackberries

The weather is starting to cool off here in the northeast.  Thankfully it’s still warm enough to enjoy a nice glass of iced tea made with Simpson and Vail loose tea and some pickings from the garden.

In addition to summer squash growing profusely, I seem to have an over abundance of basil plants this year.  SOME people here may say I have a slight “problem” that may require therapy, and I readily agree that the basil is a little out of control this year.  In my defense though, I saw a little woodchuck in the Spring and I may have over-reacted when I started putting seeds in the raised beds.

Who knew that ALL the seeds would grow and that no creatures would visit the garden!  So I potted basil plants and gave them away to friends and neighbors and have been furiously making pesto and basil cubes to freeze.  As addictions go, it’s not the worst one I suppose, but I recognize that I let it get a little out of hand this year.

So this morning when asked what I was off to do, I replied that I was heading over to the community garden to pick some blackberries, then come back home to pick some basil so I could make an iced tea.  I was told that I was really reaching for ways to get rid of the basil, but that’s obviously coming from someone with  a low sense of basil appreciation.

Basil Iced Tea

- 7 tsp Simpson and Vail Iced Tea Blend Tea
- 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
- 12 freshly picked basil leaves, cut into pieces
- 4 cups boiling water
- ice
- lemon slices
- maple syrup, to taste

In a large pot combine the loose tea, blackberries, and cut basil. Fill the pot with the boiling water, mash the blackberries, cover and steep for 5 minutes.

Strain out the leaves and fruit.  Chill. Then pour over ice.  Add a little maple syrup and a slice of lemon.  Enjoy!