Blackberry Iced Tea

Nothing says summer to me like iced tea. That sweet, cool tea just makes you feel good all over and cools you off like nothing else can.

During blackberry harvest here on the property, it just makes sense to add homemade blackberry syrup to my iced tea. I mean, come on. That’s a no-brained. Simple syrup lives up to its name with just three ingredients and a few minutes of your time. And trust me, it’s worth every one of those minutes!

Ingredients:

3 cups blackberries

1 cup sugar

9 cups water

6 tea bags

Ice

1. Start the blackberry syrup by combining blackberries and sugar in a large saucepan. As the pan heats up, use the back of a large spoon to crush the berries and release more of the juice.

2. Add 1 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. 

3. In another pan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Hang the tea bags over the lip of the pan and steep for 5-6 minutes. Remove the tea bags.

4. After letting the blackberry mixture cool for a few minutes, use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to strain the syrup out of the berries into a bowl. Get as much out as you can by smashing the berries as much as possible.

5. Combine the syrup, tea and 4 more cups of water in a pitcher. Chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to drink it.