1. Pick 2 1/2 pounds of mint (meadow) tea stalks. I don’t usually weigh it. I fill my 12 quart pot nicely full of it…slightly packing it but not too much.*
2. In a big pot, weigh out 3 pounds of sugar. Yes, I used the white stuff.
3. Add 1 gallon (4 quarts) of water.
4. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
5. Dump the boiling sugar water over the tea.
6. Make sure all of the tea is submerged. I place a dinner plate on the top.
7. Let this sit for 12 to 15 hours. It should be completely cooled. Don’t let it sit much longer than that or it might get bitter.
(no picture…it would have been boring)
8. Dump off the tea concentrate, straining out any leaves and bits of stems – discard these.
9. Mix in the juice of one lemon.
10. Measure the concentrate into 1 1/2 cup portions. I freeze mine in freezer containers.
11. Label and freeze immediately. Keeps a long time…sometimes I forget to pull it out and it lasts just fine all winter long until I get around to organizing/cleaning out my freezers. Then I remember it’s there. And Brad is very happy to find I have once again mixed up some tea.
12. When ready to drink some, mix 1 1/2 cups concentrate with 6 1/2 cups water (to make 2 quarts of tea). Stir until concentrate is thawed and it’s well mixed. Keep refrigerated.
13. Wait a month or two until your tea patch grows back and repeat the process.
*We like a weak tea. If you prefer it strong, use more like 3 or 4 pounds of tea stalks/leaves and 4 pounds of sugar. Also note that in the spring, the tea isn’t as strongly flavored as later on in the season.
Mint Tea Concentrate
2 1/2 pounds mint tea leaves/stems
1 gallon water
3 pounds sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Place the tea in a big pot. Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Dump over the tea and let sit until cooled, about 12 hours. Strain out the stems and leaves (without pressing on them as this makes the tea bitter). Stir the lemon juice into the tea concentrate. Measure out into 1 1/2 cup portions. Freeze.
To make tea: Mix 1 1/2 cups concentrate with 6 1/2 cups water. Refrigerate.
Yield: Enough concentrate to make about 6 gallons of tea
Do you rinse the mint first?
Ooo. Good question. One I forgot to address.
I don’t rinse it unless it’s really dusty or something. Otherwise, the little bit of dirt that is on it, falls to the bottom and I typically let a few T of the concentrate in the bowl so I can avoid the grit. I’m just lazy I guess. I don’t see why you couldn’t rinse it first and thus not waste a drop of the concentrate.
(I’m also not scared of dirt. If some does get in my glass, I ignore it!)
I want to know where you got that wonderful large strainer! The one over the bowl. I really need one like that.
I think that was a wedding gift from Linens-N-Things.
I weighed my tea and then put it in my 12 qt. pot as well. But it was STUFFED full. Next time I won’t bother weighing. It is really tasty though. 🙂
Hmmm. Maybe I stuffed harder than I thought!
Here’s my new method. My sister-in-law doesn’t like the taste of long steeped tea. I fill a 4 cup measuring cup with tea and cover the tea with boiling water and cover it for 3 minutes. Then I pour it into a jar with 1/2 cup sugar and stir to dissolve. I repeat the process with the same leaves. I use the resulting concentrate in a 1 part to 3 parts water ratio. I like my new method because it’s quick and doesn’t take as much time. Next time I pick a huge amount I will fill a pot instead of a measuring cup!
Long steeped tea tastes that much different? Maybe I should try your method…once my tea grows again 🙂
[…] threw together the meadow tea. Kate took this one, […]
The picture at the top of the recipe is of sage! Please Don’t use that by mistake!
The sage picture is my blog header … Not related to the tea recipe 🙂
Have you ever canned the meadow tea concentrate? Thanks in advance!
I have not!
[…] Make a sugar syrup, pour it over the leaves, and let it steep for a goodly number of hours. Strain, add some lemon juice, and ladle the concentrate into containers and freeze. (For step-by-step instruction, see Zoe’s post.) […]
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Hmm, I don’t know. I don’t own one so can’t experiment but my guess is it’s best made in a regular pot.