Sun Tea - With Recipe!

I think I must have read The Shoemaker's Elves a little too often as a kid, because I love the idea of magic happening while I sleep or I'm away from home. I've already posted about how great it is to wake up to Irish oatmeal that cooked itself while I slept. Now I'm enjoying Sun Tea that brews itself while I go to work.

You know how you get a bee in your bonnet and you have to get a book of Mary Oliver's poetry out of the library today, or you want to single-handedly bring back the bundt cake, or you want to move to the other side of the country and change your name? No? Well it happens to me. I hadn't heard or thought about Sun Tea since the 70s, and all of a sudden I had a hankering to make some. Of course, this being Rhode Island, I had to wait a week and a half for a sunny day. It was an ordeal. But after I made my blueberry tea, the waiting paid off. YUM!

To Make Sun Tea You Need:

A large jar or pitcher with a tight-fitting lid
Water (I don't know how much. How much do you want to make?)
Teabags - any kind (1 for every cup of water and an extra "for the pot" just like Mrs. Beeton recommends)

1. Put water and teabags in the jar or pitcher, cover tightly, and place outside in a spot that stays sunny all day.

2. At the end of the day, remove the teabags and sweeten if desired. I found that sugar dissolved easily in the tea while it was still room temperature. If you prefer honey, I recommend microwaving the honey (in a Pyrex measuring cup) until it liquefies and then stirring it into the tea.

3. Chill and enjoy!