No-oil-needed Sun Tea

So oil prices have his a new high, plus it's BOILING hot out here and we purposely haven't installed air conditioning (call us sweaty greens).

However, it's great weather for making sun tea. (I also saw an article on the BBC I think, on how black tea increases fertility...need to find it...).

Just chuck whatever tea bags or infusers into your (hopefully flouride-free) water and let it sit in the sun (or, just let it sit, but it won't be as fast) untili you get the color you want. I like to put in stalks of organic mint (pictured) from my urban garden (i.e., several clay pots on our patio) and let that infuse as well. Then put it in the fridge and drink tons to cool off.

I also read somewhere (PLEASE, I'm too hot to track down the citation right this minute) that cold brewing does NOT decrease the healthy antioxidants in tea at all versus heatin' up a pot of water for your cuppa.

More summer tea fun: There is also some suggestion that drinking black tea (or wearing it) acts like a sunscreen because of all the protective polyphenols. Check it out.