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10 picnic ideas for the Fourth of July

A festive twist to some summertime favorites will make your patriotic picnic complete. 

10. Stawberry iced tea

The Runaway Spoon
Brew a simple syrup made from fresh strawberries with freshly made tea for a refreshing warm weather drink.

  • By Cassidy Alford Staff writer

By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon

Fresh strawberry iced tea

12 ounces strawberries, hulled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 family size tea bags
3 to 4 stems of mint
A few sliced strawberries and mint leaves, for garnish

1. Puree the strawberries in a blender, then strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. You should end up with about 1 cup of strawberry juice. Add water to make two cups, then pour it into a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir well, then bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it reaches a boil, remove from the heat, stir in the mint and leave to cool.

2. Place the tea bags in a 1 gallon jar or pitcher. Pour over 7 cups of boiling water and leave to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and leave to cool slightly.

3. Pour the strawberry syrup back into the tea through the strainer to remove the mint leaves and stir well. Add 4 cups of cool water.

4. Garnish with sliced strawberries and mint leaves and serve over ice

See the full post on Stir It Up! 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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