Thursday Recipe - Fresh Mint Iced Tea

Technically, this would be a tisane - a brewed drink made from herbs. But who's counting semantics? It's iced tea without the tea.

I have lots of mint in my yard of several varieties including spearmint, sweet mint, pineapple mint, and chocolate mint. It exploded this summer into huge green bushes. They smell great.

My daughter has a thing for iced herb teas, so we decided to try making some from fresh mint. It has a light, fresh flavor, more than dried mint teas. And it was very tasty.

Fresh Mint Iced Tea

1 c. of fresh mint leaves
4 c. water
1 c. sugar
4 c. ice

Rinse the mint leaves to remove any dirt.

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add mint leaves. Cover and let steep for about 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Remove mint leaves. Stir in sugar until dissolved.

Put the ice in a 2qt pitcher. Pour the warm mint tea over the ice. Let sit for ten minutes or so. Stir to mix, and serve.