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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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July 25, 2017

Sun Tea and a Summer Story

Good morning friends, and thank you for meeting me (Julie) here today, At the Picket Fence. In case you didn’t know, I am a monthly contributor here for Vanessa & Heather and I am very honored to be a part of their team. If you are interested in following my blog where I am busy decorating & cooking in Michigan, you can follow along here —-> Redhead Can Decorate. Since we are in the middle of Summer, I thought today might be the perfect time to share my Mom’s homemade “Sun Tea Recipe” and story with you. I hope you are thirsty.

Very simple sun tea recipe from redheadcandecorate.com.

Iced tea can have so many different meanings for folks depending on where they live, or where they are from. I grew up in a small town in Western New York near Niagara Falls, called Grand Island. Yes, it actually is an island and there are 2 bridges that go over the Niagara River that surrounds the island. Summers were hot, and at one point we lived in an apartment building on the very top floor. Luckily, we did have air conditioning but it wasn’t the fancy central air kind that so many of us are used to today. I still remember the sound the big chunky air conditioner in the wall made in our living room when it would get really humid out. We would shut the sliding glass door to the balcony, and shut the windows and you would have to turn “General Hospital” up really loud to hear it 😀 . As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, I remember shutting the bedroom and bathroom doors too, so the cool air would stay in the front of the apartment. Oh, I could tell you lots of fun vintage apartment stories about green shag rugs, and yellow appliances, but I better stick to the sun tea recipe.

Very simple sun tea recipe from redheadcandecorate.com.

I give all the credit to my 83 year old Mom for this sun tea recipe. She’s actually been very ill, but has pulled through, so it feels very nice to be telling you a story about her today. You see, the reason I brought up the 1970-80’s apartment because that is where I remember my Mom brewing her sun tea. So now you are probably wondering how in the heck did she do that from a third floor apartment? Well, it was the balcony of course. Can you picture it? It was a tiny balcony that was located off of the dining area and my Dad put a regular sized picnic table out there for us to eat on. We only had 1 bench that could fit, but hey, it worked! Eating was very important in our house :-).

So, my Mom’s “iced tea bell” must have went off when she realized how sunny it was out there during the afternoon with the sun hitting the picnic table just right for hours. She would brew her tea on that red wood picnic table, on that tiny balcony, in that hot apartment building often. How smart, right? I mean, all it takes is a couple tea bags, lemon if you have it, and water (see full recipe below). Oh, and of course the sun. I should also add that Joanne (that’s my Mom) used a really cute clear glass drink dispenser that had painted lemon slices on it. So, anyhow this tea was and still is absolutely amazing, just like my Mom. I really hope you try it.

Very simple sun tea recipe from redheadcandecorate.com.

SUN TEA RECIPE

Take any large glass jar, pitcher or dispenser that will hold at least 2 quarts of water (no plastic). We have well water so I use room temperature bottled water (tap cold water is fine).

Add 6-8 tea bags of your choice (no need for the cold water tea bags in my opinion).

Remove the paper tag on the tea bag. I used black decaf in the picture. Then wash your lemon, slice it up and add it to the water.

Find a sunny location and let it sit for hours (at least 2)
I use my deck post and love to watch it steep from my kitchen window.

If you add enough lemon there is no sugar needed, but feel free to add your favorite sugar.

Chill and serve over ice. (should last if refrigerated for 4-5 days)

This sun tea would be so delicious with lavender simple syrup added in for a touch of sweetness. Get the recipe here!

10 Comments Filed Under: Beverages, Good Ideas, Recipes, Summer

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    July 25, 2017 at 4:00 AM

    I love sun tea, I sit my pitcher on a table on our deck where the sun shines in the afternoon. Best tea ever. Made some yesterday and will make another pitcher today.

    Thanks for sharing your story…….

    Reply
    • Julie says

      July 25, 2017 at 5:32 AM

      We got it down, don’t we Karen? Thanks for your comment and enjoy that tea!

      Reply
  2. Joan Clanton says

    July 25, 2017 at 6:40 AM

    i worked for the NY state extension service for 28 years and we taught people to use BOILING water to make sun tea. tap water doesn’t get hot enough in the sun to kill the bacteria that may be present in tea bags. you could possibly get sick with vomiting and diarrhea– no one wants that! Hope this doesn’t sound like i’m a know it all, but a few years ago over a hundred people drank sun tea at a restaurant in Syracuse ended up really sick.

    Reply
    • Julie Fiato says

      July 25, 2017 at 3:35 PM

      Hi Joan, wow that’s awful! If you are worried, of course you can boil the water first. We have never had a problem.

      Reply
  3. Cheryl says

    July 25, 2017 at 6:47 AM

    What a sweet story. When we were younger we would do the same with our ac. Yep, we could swap apartment stories for sure ; )
    Glad to hear your momma is doing better. Thank you for sharing the recipe. : )

    Reply
    • Julie Fiato says

      July 25, 2017 at 3:21 PM

      Thank you, Cheryl!

      Reply
  4. Pam says

    July 25, 2017 at 7:17 AM

    Thanks for bringing back memories on Sun Tea. I love it and used to make it all the time. Looks like I will have to start again. Glad your mom is doing better.

    Reply
    • Julie Fiato says

      July 25, 2017 at 3:23 PM

      Thank you, Pam! I appreciate your kind words!

      Reply
  5. Michele says

    July 25, 2017 at 8:50 AM

    What a sweet story. Your place back then sounds exactly like my first apartment as a 20 year old first married couple. We didn’t have two nickels between us and we lived very simple as we started out. HOT in summer up there and COLD in winter – but we got through it. Looking back feels humbling.

    Glad your momma is feeling better. 83 – that’s awesome. My mom died when she was only 59 – just much too young. Hug on that sweetie of yours as long as you can. Keeping her in my prayers.

    Reply
    • Julie Fiato says

      July 25, 2017 at 3:31 PM

      Such a sweet comment, Michele I am so sorry you lost your Mom so young. My husband did too, so I know how difficult that is. Send you hugs from Michigan!

      Reply

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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

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But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

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For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

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What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

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