Fresh and Fruity Herbal Iced Teas

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Use fresh herbs, fruits, flowers and your imagination to create delicious drinks from your garden Photolibrary.com

Cool and crisp, iced tea is the quintessential summer drink. But why limit yourself to ordinary iced black tea when you can mix herbs, fruit, flowers and spices to create extraordinary summertime drinks?

Iced herbal teas, also known as tisanes, offer flavor options and health benefits beyond those of traditional tea; and many of the ingredients can be gathered directly from your garden.

While my personal teabag-of-tricks includes a few fail-safe favorites that are good both cold and hot, I love mixing new combinations for a break from the usual. Melding a variety of garden flavors and fragrances captures the essence of summer’s long, glorious days in a simple, refreshing drink.

Each of the following recipes will fill four to six glasses. For a picnic or party, simply double, triple or quadruple the ingredients (and the size of your pitcher), accordingly. Sweeteners are optional.

Peach Pick-Me-Up

Makes about six 8-ounce servings

Make the most of summer’s most heavenly flavors with this sprightly tea. Fresh, fully ripe peaches are best, of course, but you can substitute canned or frozen peaches in juice (not syrup) when fresh peaches are not available. You can prepare the mint tea ahead of time, but always mix in the peaches just before serving.

1 tablespoon dried mint leaves

4 cups water

2 cups pureed peaches, chilled

Garnish: Fresh mint leaves

Steep mint leaves in hot (80- to 90-degree) water for 3 minutes. Pour peaches into a sieve to remove chunks. After the mint tea has cooled completely, mix it with the strained peach puree. Serve cold, garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Hip Apple Rose Tea

Makes about four 8-ounce servings

Packed with flavor and color, this tart tea (shown right) is a delight to serve.

2 cups hot water

2 teaspoons dried and seeded rose hips

10 to 12 dried hibiscus flowers

1 tablespoon fresh pineapple sage or apple mint leaves

4 teaspoons fresh raspberry leaves OR 2 teaspoons dried leaves

2 cups cold water and ice

Apple juice for sweetening, optional

Garnish: Apple slices, cut horizontally

Steep hips, flowers and leaves in hot water (80 to 90 degrees) for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, strain and add cold water and ice. Pour tea over additional ice. Float apple slices in each glass as garnish.