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Show LindaSue's Corner 1 - 1 ...v. . v ntWILWlWIIWIIIIIWlllllllllllllWW- They call it "sun tea," and it's said to have originated in the Sun Belt, famous for sun, sand and year-round iced tea drinking. Believers in simple, natural living, these tea drinkers have long favored letting the sun brew their iced tea. To make "sun tea," all you need is a large jar, fresh water and tea bags. The sun do 75 ; heating and brewing, extracting the flavor and color ifom the tea, making an amazingly good, sparkling clear drink. For an especially delightful iced tea, use Constant Comment, the very first orange-and-space flavored tea. It was created more than 35 years ago. This classic American tea has a unique taste that's never been successfully duplicated. The original recipe, based on a fragrant colonial brew, is carefully guarded to this day by the Bigelow family. The ingredients? Finest mountain teas flavored with rind of oranges and sweet spice. For iced tea variety, you might also like to try other flavored blends of tea. Lemon Lift or Plantation Mint as alternatives for this sun-brewing technique. If you prefer herb tea, try Nice Over Ice. For those who choose to make iced tea from a hot brew, here's a key to success. Use 50 more tea than you would in brewing hot tea. This allows for dilution when ice is added. Let cool at room temperature before refrigerating to keep it ; clear. Tea expert Bigelow also has a tip for clearing cloudy iced tea. "Just add a little boiling water from the tea kettle to restore its original clarity," he advises. Sun-Brewed Iced Tea Use either a quart or gallon-size jar, depending upon the quantity of tea desired. Fill jar with freshly drawn cold tap water. -,r For a quart of water, suspend 4 tea bags in the jar. Use 16 . tea bags for the gallon jar. Add lid or cover and place in the ." - sun. Location can be a patio, porch, sunny windowsill or beside the pool. It can be anywhere the sun's warm rays can bring out the amber color. Let stand in the sun for 4 to 6 hours. Remove tea bags and pour tea over ice in tall glasses. Serve with honey, sugar, or sweetener arid lemon, if desired. |