Living in Pa nobody knows what REAL iced tea is. They think it either comes powdered from a can or is basically lemonade mixed with a little bit of tea. But coming from Oklahoma, my mom knows how to make real iced tea, or sweet tea, as they call it here in Florida. It’s brewed fresh, sweetened, and cooled. (Except in East Texan like at my beautiful Aunt Marilyn’s, they keep it out on the counter) So growing up all my friends loved our “Schochler Tea” (my maiden name) and insisted on there always being a full pitcher of it at all times. I like to keep the tradition alive and even have a special “tea pot”, my vintage Cathrineholm pot, that I only use for tea brewing. I can just picture my kids one day saying, “I want mom’s tea pot when I get married!” (Those are the kinds of things I think about, I’m a planner) The recipe I use is very simple, here goes;
6 regular tea bags (I like it strong, you can use 4 or 5 instead if you like)
Apx. 6 cups of water
Apx. 1/2-1 cup of sugar
1 gallon pitcher
Tie the 6 tea bags together by the strings to form a little bundle, this makes them easier to remove. Put them into your pot and cover with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil then let steep for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile put sugar in the bottom of the pitcher (the amount of sugar is really a personal preference so just test it out trial and error until you find the right sweetness for your family) After the tea has steeped but is still warm (so the sugar will dissolve) pour it into the pitcher and stir vigorously to mix in the sugar. Fill the pitcher the rest of the way with cold water, cover, and put in the fridge (it’s better if you let it sit a while before drinking). Since this was a summertime staple in our home and in the summer there’s always fresh mint outside, try serving this with a few mint leaves as garnish, it’s delicious!
This post is dedicated to my loyal reader and lovely tea makin’ momma, Pier Schochler.
Also I think I may be addicted to commas, and use them way too much and incorrectly. Oh well. That is all.
beauty & the butcher 