From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: Refreshing Summer Sun Tea With Fruit and Peppermint
Friday, July 13 ~ Sunny summer afternoons are for sipping sun tea with neighbors.
A Lucky Day for Celebrating the Glories of Summer
For me, every Friday the 13th is a lucky day. To encourage luck to visit me abundantly this day, I walked my wooded labyrinth and thanked the energies of the four directions. Doing this connects me to the earth. I am ready for the day.
To invoke the energy held by each direction, I stand in the middle of the labyrinth, spread my legs wide, and bend down to touch the earth with my palms. After welcoming and touching the energy of each direction, I lift my arms and spread the energy around me like a silk scarf or mantle. Then I hold my arms stretched out and take a few deep breaths, thanking the spirits of the labyrinth for their graces.
These are the words that I say while my palms touch the ground:
My Four Directions Invocation
"Guardians of the North/East/South/West,
I thank you for your blessings and energy.
I invite and welcome your wisdom in my life.
Blessed be."
Wooded Labyrinth
Kicking off the Weekend
Not only is Friday the 13th a lucky day, it is also the kickoff to another fun summer weekend. It is an opportunity to slow down my pace and enjoy some time chatting with my neighbors.
Often, neighborhood children of all ages sit and tell me things they're excited about. I blow bubbles with them, or provide pipe cleaners to play with.
Staying Cool All Summer
Hillary was the first to climb my front stairs and sit by me. She took a bottle of bubbles and started blowing through the wand.
"How are you today, Hillary?"
"Great! How are you?"
"Just peachy." We both giggle. "Have some tea. It's peach tea, and there's strawberries and mint to put in it."
"Mmmm...tea with fruit and mint.. This tastes delicious! I want to make it with my friends."
"They won't ever want to leave your house if you serve them this."
"That's fine. They're my friends."
" I bet you all live at each other's houses."
"We do in the summer."
Friends brewing ideas for mindful livelihoods
Hillary stopped smiling and looked at the flowers around my front porch.
"You look sad. What makes you sad?"
"My friend Jo has been saying mean things to the rest of us. I asked her if something was wrong and she said no. I asked her why she has been saying those things and she won't answer."
"What types of things has she been saying?"
"That the rest of us are going nowhere. Whenever we talk about ideas for jobs that we can do to make money, she says that we are foolish for wanting to work for a living and tells us that she won't ever have to, but won't tell us exactly how that can happen. She just says that we should give her money to buy things that we can resell and make a profit from. But we don't want to do that. We want to be active, make things of our own to sell."
"What types of things do the rest of your friends like to make?
"Paintings, books, lemonade. Anna wants to work taking care of horses at a stable in exchange for riding lessons. Paul, Danny, and Julia want to work at a coffee shop because they want to learn how to make delicious coffee drinks. I want to work at a gourmet pizza restaurant because I love making pizza. A few of us want to get together to create meals for people who are busy."
"Those are excellent, creative ideas, Hillary. You should hold onto your money and your dreams. Save some of what you make, and only spend it on something that you really want. It's yours."
"I think so, too."
"Getting together with friends to make meals for busy families is an excellent way to make money if you love to cook. Would you and your friends like to have a brochure design party? I'll lay out some art materials, paper, and snacks. You all bring your creative ideas and think up a good name for your service. Then you can start handing brochures to people and hanging up flyers around town. You may get some good bites for your business." Hillary giggled.
"Thank you, Karen. I will call my friends and tell them about your invitation. Can we get together tomorrow afternoon?"
"Yes. You are all welcome to come over tomorrow afternoon. That includes Jo, too, if she would like to be included."
"Thank you, Madam Kitchen Goddess." Hillary gave me a quick hug and ran back to her house.
Sun Tea and Porches Make a Fabulous Combination
Rate this sun tea recipe:
Sun tea and fruit preparation
Magical ingredients for a magical tea
- 1 White Peach tea ball, or several bags
- 1- 3 gallons Water
- 2 hours Sunshine
- 1 cup Strawberries or Raspberries
- 1 cup Peaches, when in season, peeled and chopped
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 2 trays ice cubes
- 8-12 Mint Leaves
How to Make and Serve the Tea ~
- Fill a large glass jar with water and place the tea ball/bags in it. Set the jar out in the sun for two hours to brew the sun tea.
- Wash the berries. Wash, peel, and cut the peach(es).
- Juice the lime and toss the fruit in a bowl with the lime juice.
- Let the fruit soak up the lime juice in the refrigerator while the tea is "brewing" in the sun.
- After 2 hours, bring in the jar, remove the tea ball/bags, and add a tray or two of ice cubes to the tea.
- Fill glasses halfway with ice cubes, and fill them 3/4 with tea.
- Add a spoonful of fruit and a mint leaf to each glass of tea.
- Give each glass of fruit tea a stir and serve.
Sun tea at Sunset ~
1 Glass of refreshing iced sun tea with fruit and mint
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 glass of fruit tea | |
| Calories | 13 |
| Calories from Fat | 0 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 0 g | |
| Saturated fat 0 g | |
| Unsaturated fat 0 g | |
| Carbohydrates 3 g | 1% |
| Sugar 0 g | |
| Fiber 1 g | 4% |
| Protein 1 g | 2% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
© 2012 Karen A Szklany
