

How to Make Sun Tea (Even If You Don't Have a Sun Tea Jar)

12:40 AM

My childhood summertime memories are dotted with days when I drank sun tea.  You may have these same memories. I had no idea how my mom did it, but we had a big glass jar on our step with a plastic spigot on the side that contained a big batch of tea.  Each night, we brought it in and filled our glasses with it (if we were lucky, there was some ice in the freezer, too.)

I wanted to recreate that memory (and spend less on "instant" tea), so I have been experimenting with making sun tea for my own kids.  I don't, however, have a sun tea jar.

Turns out, any glass container will do, so I used glass canning jars for mine.  Gallon jars or quart jars will do.  If you have someone in the family who is really picky about their tea and can't have the same kind as everyone else, you can give them a pint jar.  (Walmart's Great Value salsa comes in "mason" branded jars that don't seal like regular canning jars.  If you save the jars and lids, however, this is a great way to use them.)

Grab a clean jar and fill it almost to the top with water.  Drop in the tea bag of your choice (green, black, or white -- doesn't matter.)  You can also add some mint for extra kick.  I have so much in my garden, that it seemed wise to add a big leaf to all the jars.

Let the jars sit in the sun for at least 3 hours.  If it's cloudy, you'll likely still get good tea, but it may have to sit longer.

Love sun tea? You can make it in a few hours -- even without a sun tea jar!

Put the tea in your fridge when it has reached the desired strength.  If you leave the tea bag in, you'll have EXTRA strong tea, which you can dilute as needed.  Tea "concentrate" is a high-priced item in grocery stores.  Having your own just makes sense.

I love drinking tea straight out of the jar.  Everyone can have their own jar that they add water and ice too. (Sugar, too, if you're like that.)  For kids that break things, I recommend transferring their tea to unbreakable Alladin mason cups.  They look just like glass Mason jars.

What kind of tea will you be brewing this summer?


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