Homemade Blackberry Iced Tea

It's blackberry season on the Carrell Wildlife Preserve! The bushes at the top of our barn hill are out in full force, and there are hundreds of bushes in various stages of ripening.

So don't be surprised if you see several blackberry recipes in the coming weeks.

I started out the season with a lovely blackberry iced tea. It's ready to go in about an hour, but the longer you leave it in the refrigerator, the better it is.

All you need are 5-6 iced tea bags (the kind designed for cold brew are best), 3 cups of blackberries, cold water and ice.

According to the package directions, brew up a gallon (16 cups) of iced tea with the 5-6 tea bags. Make it whatever strength you want, but this is what works for my taste.

While that's brewing for those few minutes, mash the blackberries down to a pulp in a large bowl with the back of a spoon. If you're not a big fan of seeds, put them through a food processor and strain out the seeds. As long as you have the juice and the pulp, you're set.

Remove the tea bags and stir in the blackberries. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator for an hour, stirring and mashing a little more every 15 minutes or so. It will be ready after an hour, but the longer it's in there, the better it gets.

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