I remember my mom filling a large glass jar with water, and several tea bags to sit in the sun. Hours later it would be sweetened with sugar and transferred to the refrigerator making our family's favorite beverage: sun tea. It was especially refreshing to drink in the hot summer days.
Do you have fond memories from your childhood of sun tea? Want to share it with your kids? ( Maybe it was just a Florida thing?) I had not made it in years and thought not only would it be a fun recipe, but a bit of an experiment too. We tried regular black tea, green tea, and a flavored tea that is meant for hot tea to see which made the best flavor. We also used different sweeteners with each. I wanted them to have a little taste of my childhood.
How to Make Sun Tea with Kids
You will need:
- Clean quart mason jars
- Lids and rings
- Tea bags
- Sweetener- honey, granulated sugar, stevia, or agave
- A sunny spot
To make the tea:
Fill a quart mason jar with water to the neck.
Put 2-3 small tea bags in the jar with string hanging out, place lid and ring on jar.
Place in a sunny spot for 2-3 hours.
While it is still warm, stir in your sweetener. We tried the following combination:
- Passion Tea with Stevia
- Black Tea with Sugar
- Green Tea with Honey
If you want to make a bigger batch, you can place water in a gallon container with about 7 bags of tea. You may need to steep longer; I generally eye mine by the color.
The kids really found the whole process to be fun and have asked almost every day since to make sun tea again. I think the fact that it was simple for them to create a “recipe” coupled with the tastiness of it is what allures them. For me it called to mind the days when my mom had a jar on our back porch with the clothesline in the background and the smell of sunshine.
More Kid-Friendly Recipes and Tips
10 Kid-Friendly Muffin Recipes
jackie m says
May 2, 2015 at 7:59 pmThanks for this post, reminding me to not forget to do this again. For years each day of summer I made sun tea and then got out of the habit.
I think I will fill my pint and a half jars and set them out to brew, then using my ball “sippy” lids, adding ice and a straw I have my glass of tea all ready for me with out hassle!
Alea Milham says
May 2, 2015 at 10:44 pmGreat idea!
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
May 7, 2015 at 4:21 amMy kids will LOVE doing this!
Audrey says
May 7, 2015 at 4:11 pmI usually do a big 3 quart jar when I make sun tea, but the smaller jars for taste testing sounds fun. Saw this on Wonderful Wednesdays