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!
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