Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sun Tea, Solar Brew, Sol Highball, Photon ____ ?

Making sun brewed tea with mojito mint. Note that where some people see skids, permaculturalists see potential

I couldn’t think up a word meaning drink that started with f (or ph) to put after photon. Oh well, whatever you want to call it, it sure is TASTAY! It can turn a regular summer day into a PARTAY! Sun tea is also easy to make:

1) Fill a large jar (in my case an empty pickle jar) full of water,  preferably distilled
2) Add some tea bags
3) Place in sunny location for 3-5 hours (capturing onsite energy is a permaculture principle)
4) Chill and serve

Of course you can also experiment a bit. You can see that I have added some home-grown mojito mint to the jar. Ah yes, what a great way to recycle a tire and prevent mint from overtaking your garden (there’s gotta be some permaculture in that). That tire, mint, soil and all, was rolled over to its current location after… That’s a story I am not currently at liberty to talk about, but with enough positive interest might be able to convince my better half to let me. It's a good one!

Now an evil disclaimer (you can tell because the print is smaller).  Apparently there is a bacteria, often found in tap water, called Alcaligenes viscolactis. There are some reports on the internet saying that it can propagate in sun tea. That being said I have never been sick after drinking it or heard of anyone being sick either. In the comment sections of the sites I looked at there were no cases of anyone being sick either. As with any food or drink preparations, use common sense. If you choose to make it then don’t let it steep in the sun too long and make sure to drink it right away. More on this matter can be found at:

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