A Gardeners Forum Forums Willy's Place Members Favorite Recipes summer drinks and ice tea!

Since spring and summer is not to far away? I would like to make some different summer drinks for my family does anyone have any good recipes for some including ice tea too?

very good iced tea...

1/2 gallon recipe - use 3-4 regular sized tea bags, place in pot of COLD water, place water on the stove, bring almost to boil on med heat. when it starts bubble around the edge, turn it off and let it cool. when cool enough to handle the bags, squeeze out the bags into the tea, add 1/2-2/3 cup of sugar, stir well, pour up into a half gallon pitcher and top off with cold water. serve over ice with lemon wedges or mint sprigs.

for one gallon, follow same directions except use 5-7 tea bags (2 family sized ones) and 1 to 1-1/2 cups sugar.

if you don't like the bitter edge to tea that some get, put a pinch (just a pinch or the tea will taste "soapy") of baking soda in the pot.

for sassafras or mint flavor, put the appropriate leaves/bark in the water with the tea bags.

if you refrigerate hot tea, it will get cloudy.

if you let it come to a full boil, it will be bitter.

sweet tea is good in the refrigerator for about 3 days. if it lasts that long.

virgin strawberry daquiris

virgin mudslides

pina colada\'s

banana berry freezes

all of the above drinks will serve 3-4. i usually add the appropriate liquid and crushed ice if i need to "stretch" them.

Gosh!! Jiffymouse they all sound so good cannot wait to try them all bye and thank you so much for taking your time to send them to me many thanks and may god bless you and your family bye Rita

I've got my eye on that Virgin Mudslide as the weather starts to warm up. Thank you for the recipe.

The Energizer

1 cup orange segments, chilled
1/2 cup grapefruit segments, chilled
1/2 cup strong brewed Earl Grey tea, chilled
3/4 cup orange sherbert
2 ice cubes, crushed

Combine in the order listed (in the blender) blend til smooth.


RASPBERRY REFUELER

1 cup diced mango
1 cup orange gaterade
1 frozen banana, sliced
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries

Combine the mango and gaterade in blender. Add the banana and raspberries, blend til smooth. This is an excellent way to replace the carbs and nutrients and electrolytes lost during a strenuous workout...or tough day gardening!


HYDR-TONIC

1 1/2 cups diced honeydew melon
1 cup lemon-lime gatorade
3/4 cup frozen green grapes
pinch of salt

Blend til smooth...serve immediately. This will give you a good burst of energy to get you going before/during excercise and gardening. You will also get 95% of your daily need of vit C!


VITA-PACK

1 cup low-fat blueberry yogurt
3/4 cup chilled apple juice
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup frozen unsweetened chopped or sliced peaches

Combine the yogurt and apple juice in the blender...add the remaining ing...blend til smooth. this has a whopping 53 grams of carbohydrates...the preffered source of energy for working muscles. It is important to load up on them before strenuous work. For the maximum benefit...drink an hour or so before strenuous work.


I might have needed to post these under a seperate topic for energy elixers or something. But they are really good smoothies and all have an important purpose. I have tons of smoothie recipes for kids/babies, immune boosters, natural hormone boosters (for hot flashes, PMS etc...)rejuvinators...and just all around yummy good for you smoothies if anyone is interested. Most of them have ingredients that are easy to find at the grocerey store. A few have some ingredients like tofu...or herbs etc... I like the "stress reducer" smoothies and the veggie smoothies.

UP TO THE TOP!!!!

Does anyone have a recipe for a drink using watermelon? I have had it before...(kinda slushy)and it is REALLY good. There was a cafe in Wichita that serves the best cantalope slushy drink...it was also VERY good and smelled wonderful. I haven't been able to find a recipe for either...and I have a gazillion recipe books and smoothie books. I'm stumped!

well, I kinda lied. I do have a hangover helper that has watermelon...but it has other stuff in it as well and I want more of just the watermelon taste. Guess I'm going to have to just go play in the kitchen and make one up!

Hangover Helper

2 cups seeded watermelon
1 cup frozen unsweeted strawberries
1 cup rasberry sorbet
2 tsp fresh lime juice
pinch of salt

combine ing in blender til smooth.

(watermelon is 92% water and an excellent electrolyte replacer...just what your body is craving when you wake up with a pounding head and parched mouth from a hangover)

What are those, hang~over's??????

Ask Mr. Bill, G~Mom & Cindy....I don't have a clue!!!

I look a lot like Cindy Friend when I do that!

HOT SUMMER GARDENERS DRINK.
SPORT DRINK
1/2 gallon of prepared caffeine free lemon tea
or any other favorer that you like
1 cup sugar
6 pinches salt
1-1/4 cups orange juice

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot tea.let Cool. Blend the tea and orange juice in a blender with ice blend into a slushy .great on those hot summer days after working in your garden.

Boston Iced Tea

Dissolve 1 cup sugar into 1 gallon of water in a pot. Heat to boiling and turn off heat. Let 15 tea bags steep until desired strength of tea has been reached. Remove bags and give them a squeeze (be careful! they'll be hot!). Pour 1 container of frozen cranberry juice concentrate into the hot tea and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Iced tea mixed 50/50 with Ocean Spray CranRaspberry is very tasty!

mothman that sounds good and refreshing too! Thank you for sharing that with us! ladystressout

MERME'S SPECIAL SLUSHIE

I mentioned this in Banter Hall's Coffeehouse a long time ago, but I thought it would do well here, too.

Get some Cream Soda. Add Half and Half. Freeze until Slushie.

Tastes great! And it also works well with Orange Soda, giving you that Creamsicle taste. Oh, and I make mine with diet soda. But as Bess of The Piedmont pointed out, the Half & Half sort of detracts from the diet factor, doesn't it then.

Merme

This is not a recipe. But I think it is a nice touch.

When you make a flavored tea or other chilled drink. Freeze some of the fruit of that flavor & pop them into you guests' glasses instead of ice cubes which water down the drink.

raspberries, sliced peaches, etc...

Rugny, I do something similiar to that. I put a raspberry or some cut up strawberries into an ice tray and then poor juice into the tray over the fruit. I think I used a strawberry and something flavored juice. It doesn't dilute the tea and adds to the flavor.

Merme~do you do you slushie with 1 part soda to 1 part half and half???

Hello All,

These recipies all sound inviting and I will surely try a few of them.
My favorite beverage is tea, but I brew it with a slice of crystal Ginger.
Lately I've been brewing the ginger first and then making the tea with the cooled Ginger water. This makes it extra gingery.
I drink this hot early in the day and iced as the day heats up.
I always add milk, but that is my taste. Just thought I'ld mention it because some things curdle the milk, but the ginger doesn't.
one another and bee happy.

mizzeliz

All sound good but just a tad on the weak side. For my rose tea I take about 12 to 16 rose hips boil for about 20 minutes (about half as long as regular black pekoe tea). Let steep for about an hour or so, sweeten to taste let cool before refrigerating. I don't use ice so mine has to be cooled for a while before I drink it cold. For hot take two rose hips place in boiling water let steep sweeten to taste good with a little natural honey. rose petals are also good in salads. Must be organic cannot use if chemical pesticides have been used.
Jimmy

5 Minute Watermelon Frappe

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
4 cups cold watermelon chunks
8 mint leaves

Directions:


Run the blender at medium speed and drop chunks of watermelon through the feed hole one at a time until they are well integrated.

Add the mint and run the blender at medium speed for 1 minute until the watermelon has liquefied.

Strain into a bowl with a pouring lip.

Pour into goblets, garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy!

Serves 2

(from http://www.whfoods.com Thanks ChristinaC!)