Sipping the Taste of Summer

Today is National Sweet Tea Day, and yet this is my first post ever to sing the praises of Sweet Tea. Now how did that happen? Must have been busy with other things. Oh well, an oversight that is now corrected.

Sweet Tea is just as it sounds, a tea that is sweet – very sweet indeed. It’s not an unsweetened ice tea that you later add sugar to. It’s sweet right out of the gate. The sugar is added to the tea during the brewing process, infiltrating every last drop. While Sweet Tea is consumed throughout America, it’s most prominent in the south. Which is another reason I cannot believe I’ve let this day go by without notice. While I’m California born and breed, there’s a part of me that feels very connected to all things southern. Well, most things southern. Southern hospitality, southern cooking, the positive things about the south. The negative aspects I don’t let in.

While we generally don’t think of Oklahoma as southern, but rather Hillbilly, when it comes to cooking Okies are straightforward southern – lots of fried chicken and watermelon sprinkled with salt. My Dad’s an Okie, so I guess that explains my love of southern ways. And like a lot of girls my age, I can quote lines from Gone With the Wind. But that’s a view of the south through Rose-colored glasses.

Today is all about Sweet Tea. It’s darn near the official drink of summer in some parts. While California is the largest producer of peaches in the nation, when we think Peach Tea, we think Georgia. Sorry, my beloved California, but George Peach it is.

Let’s clink our glasses and toast to a beautiful day. Enjoy!

Georgia Summertime Sweet Peach Tea
Sweet Peach Tea
2 cups Hot Water
6 Tea Bags
2/3 cup Sugar
1/2 lb Frozen Peach Slices
2 cups Cold Water

Bring water just to a boil. Add tea bags and sugar, stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.

Place the frozen peaches in the bottom of a large pitcher. Pour tea over the peaches. Add 2 cups cold water, stir.

Cover pitcher and refrigerate undisturbed for 1 hour.

For Serving
2 Fresh Peaches
Handful Mint Leaves
Ice for serving

To serve, slice peaches, set aside. Place 1 peach slice into the bottom of each glass, add ice. Pour tea into the glasses, garnish with a slice of peach and a snip of mint leaves. Serve, sip and enjoy a leisure summer’s day.

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Alleluia, alleluia
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia, alleluia