This Lancaster County staple is summer in an ice-cold glass. Crisp, clean, minty and utterly refreshing, it’s also the perfect way to use an abundance of mint.
If Lancaster County had an official summer drink, it would surely be Meadow Tea.
For years I threatened to rip out the mint that has a way of overtaking our garden ⇩⇩ — until I began making Meadow Tea. Now, I never seem to have enough!
(Doesn’t it smell so good?)
My family can drink this crisp, minty drink as fast as I can make it, and nothing tastes more refreshing on a hot summer day.
You can buy it, of course, but once you realize how easy it is to whip up a batch, you’ll be happy to save a few dollars and enjoy the fresh, clean flavor that the bottled variety can’t quite capture.
For those who may not be familiar, Meadow Tea isn’t actually tea. It’s just freshly grow mint that’s been brewed, sweetened to taste and chilled.
Any mint will work. I happen to be partial to good old spearmint.
I learned this method of preparing Meadow Tea from Michael Long, who was my very first newspaper editor. Michael knows his way around the kitchen and has Mennonite roots－two qualities which told me this tea would be a hit before I ever made it.
The only real change I made was to reduce the amount of sugar to suit our tastes. Feel free to adjust up or down according to your preference. Though I haven’t made Meadow Tea with honey, I have a friend who does and she loves it that way.
As mentioned, my husband and sons have fallen in love with this refreshing, lightly sweet tea－as have many relatives and friends.
Funny story: One of my friends stops over for lunch on her work break from time to time. When her husband recently learned that I make Meadow Tea, he asked if I would send a jarful of the tea home with her the next time..and any time I have the tea on hand. (Of course I will, Ken!😊)
Usually, I end up cutting a few too many stalks from the garden, so I took to making a mint “bouquet” with the extra clippings, placing them in a Mason jar on our kitchen table. The arrangement is rustic yet pretty, and the smell is delightful.
I’ve always appreciated Michael’s precise timing for steeping the mint, noted in the recipe below. It may seem somewhat arbitrary, but I set my oven timer and never waver, and the flavor is perfect every single time.
Meadow TeaYield: 2 quarts/½ gallon (easy to double)
This Lancaster County staple is summer in an ice-cold glass. Crisp, clean, minty and utterly refreshing, it's also the perfect way to use an abundance of mint.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts (64 ounces) water
- 1 cup mint leaves (I like spearmint; pack fairly well)
- ⅓ cup (66g) sugar*
- Optional: 1-2 extra mint sprigs (no more than 4-6 inches long)
Instructions To get a cup of mint leaves, cut or purchase about 8-10 healthy, mature mint stalks. Remove the leaves from the stems, pinching off any dry or brown spots.
In a large pot, bring the water to a full boil. (Tip: For good use of time, pick off the mint leaves while waiting for the water to boil.)
Remove the pot from the heat, and immediately stir in the mint leaves. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, set your oven timer for 2 hours and 45 minutes and let the leaves steep. (Michael considers this to be the perfect timing, and I always abide by it!)
After the allotted time has passed, strain the tea into a very large jar or pitcher. I press down very lightly on the leaves to extract any lingering liquid. (But I believe what I heard years ago – that squeezing tea leaves can cause bitterness – so I don’t press too hard.) Discard or compost the leaves. Immediately stir in the sugar, stirring to dissolve. (Because the pot was covered during the steeping process, the tea will still be warm enough to dissolve the sugar.)
If using the optional sprigs, make a small tear in 6-8 of the leaves and add to the jar.** Refrigerate and enjoy over ice, with a small fresh sprig of mint, if desired.
Notes*This amount of sugar produces a lightly sweet tea, but you may absolutely adjust up or down to taste. I’ve never used honey in meadow tea, but I have a friend who does and loves it!
**Tearing the mint leaves (while keeping them intact) of the optional sprigs releases some of the essential oil from the leaves, adding an extra infusion of fresh mint flavor to the tea as it sits in the refrigerator.
More On YouTube More on Instagram
Tried this recipe?Post a picture on instagram and we will repost it! Mention @fountainavenuekitchen or tag #fountainavenuekitchen!
The Fountain Avenue Kitchen https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/
- 2 quarts (64 ounces) water
- 1 cup mint leaves (I like spearmint; pack fairly well)
- ⅓ cup (66g) sugar*
- Optional: 1-2 extra mint sprigs (no more than 4-6 inches long)
To get a cup of mint leaves, cut or purchase about 8-10 healthy, mature mint stalks. Remove the leaves from the stems, pinching off any dry or brown spots.
In a large pot, bring the water to a full boil. (Tip: For good use of time, pick off the mint leaves while waiting for the water to boil.)
Remove the pot from the heat, and immediately stir in the mint leaves. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, set your oven timer for 2 hours and 45 minutes and let the leaves steep. (Michael considers this to be the perfect timing, and I always abide by it!)
After the allotted time has passed, strain the tea into a very large jar or pitcher. I press down very lightly on the leaves to extract any lingering liquid. (But I believe what I heard years ago – that squeezing tea leaves can cause bitterness – so I don’t press too hard.) Discard or compost the leaves. Immediately stir in the sugar, stirring to dissolve. (Because the pot was covered during the steeping process, the tea will still be warm enough to dissolve the sugar.)
If using the optional sprigs, make a small tear in 6-8 of the leaves and add to the jar.** Refrigerate and enjoy over ice, with a small fresh sprig of mint, if desired.
*This amount of sugar produces a lightly sweet tea, but you may absolutely adjust up or down to taste. I’ve never used honey in meadow tea, but I have a friend who does and loves it!
**Tearing the mint leaves (while keeping them intact) of the optional sprigs releases some of the essential oil from the leaves, adding an extra infusion of fresh mint flavor to the tea as it sits in the refrigerator.
I have been making Mint(Meadow) Iced Tea for many years. I never really used a recipe and tried your recipe for it today. I like the directions for letting the tea sit and followed the times you gave. I think your tea really was better than I usually make and will follow these directions in the future. My only substitution will be to use Monk Fruit as a sweetener since I am a Diabetic. I have made Mint Tea without any sweetener but prefer a sweeter tea and Monk Fruit works well for me. Thanks for the specific times and your notes.
Oh, I wanted to say that I have tried freezing the tea leaves and it works OK but fresh leaves are best. I need to used about almost double the amount of frozen leaves for 1 cup used in this recipe.
Thank you for your terrific feedback, Joan. I’m delighted this recipe will be your new go-to and appreciate the feedback regarding monk fruit and your experience with freezing the mint leaves. Cheers!
Love it, been making it this way for years!
What are the health benefits?
It’s a keeper for sure, Phoebe! As for the health benefits, mint has been touted for all sorts of good things, from improving digestion to reducing stress. The question is how well the studies control for the variables, how much tea you’d need to drink to realize those benefits, etc. Ultimately, the biggest benefit may be the good feeling we get when we enjoy the flavor and the amazing aroma!
I know you can freeze mint tea concentrate. Is it possible to can it also? I don’t have much freezer space and my tea patch is in need of cutting back. I’d love to can some to have a quick drink ready anytime.
Hi Sharon, I agree with you. It would be so nice to have a quick drink of this anytime! I wasn’t sure what the pH of mint was, so I looked it up. It’s in the 6-7 range, which means it would only be safe to can it using high pressure as opposed to the water bath method. Anything with a pH of 4.7 or below is considered safe for water bath canning. Sometimes people get there by adding lemon juice (to tomatoes, for example, which are not quite low enough). So you could do that, although it would change the flavor (could be nice!) and you may find you want a little more sweetener to balance it. I hope this is somewhat helpful. If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi Ann! Thanks for sharing the Meadow Tea recipe! I love your detailed instructions and I made it today for the first time! It’s so refreshing! I sweetened my Meadow Tea with a tablespoon of Agave Nectar–I like it with just a hint of sweetness.
Hi Kim! I’m so glad you tried and liked. It’s definitely a favorite with my family, and I’ve been eyeing my mint closely. Soon I will have enough to start making here, too!
Ann, do you simply rinse the mint leaves, or do you have a specific process for washing them. My leaves are very healthy looking but I think there are tiny aphids and such on them that I want to be sure to clean off.
Thanks
Hi Terry, I have never had aphids so have always simply rinsed the mint with water. I did some investigative work, however, and discovered that simply spraying water at the infested foliage may help as the force of the water usually dislodge the aphids and washes them away. If that doesn’t completely rid the mint of them, you can spray the mint leaves with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dish soap. The soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. Then, of course, you’d want to rinse with water before using. A local farmer friend told me that her family relies on lady bugs, because they eat aphids. If only you could special order some for your mint! Seriously though, I hope these ideas help.
I love meadow tea an constantly have a huge pitcher of it in my refrigerator. I add no sugar….I just love the cold and minty flavor. I always take a big jar of it along when we visit our kids in Virginia and DC.
Love the idea of a bouquet of leaves in a jar…..it will be something on my kitchen table this week.
I’m sure your kids are thrilled when you bring it, Becky, and I’m so glad you like the bouquet idea. Enjoy the tea－and the fresh, minty scent in the air!
I haven’t made “Meadow Tea” but have made “mint tea” with a six of tea bags and about a cup of mint leaves, enough to brew two quarts of tea. Some in our family like tea southern style. very sweet, so I always have sugar syrup for them to add the sweetness to their tea. I prefer just a hint of sweetness and will add a small splash of the sugar syrup.I also divide the brewed tea into two pitchers, one sweet and one unsweetened and add water to have almost 4 quarts of teas for special get togethers.
Thanks for reminding me of the tea! One of my favorites was my grandmother’s tea that included fresh lemons and fresh mint in the brewing stage and sugar in the brew afterwards.
Helen, I like your system of having two pitchers – something for everyone! Having simple syrup on the side available for people to add as desired is a lovely idea, too. I’m delighted this recipe brought back memories of your grandmother’s tea. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Ann, We always had meadow tea growing in our yard when I was growing up and my mother often made the tea. When I moved into my own home my mother gave me some of her mint to plant and I planted it in a area where it could not spread. But there is also another use for meadow tea. You dry the leaves and once dried, crumble the leaves up and let your cat have some home grown cat nip. Our cats always loved it.
Love that idea, Gail! Thanks for mentioning. And how nice to have the transplanted mint. I bet the history makes it taste even better!