Honey Colored Evenings in the Garden And Iced Tea with Lime & Peppermint…

An Evening on the Terrace in Sultry, Honey Colored Mist

Voluptuous French Lilacs Drape to the Ground

Vanilla Sky: Garnet-Hued Japanese Maple Leaves, Luminous at Sunset

June evening. It’s late in the day, and the glow of mist-diffused sunlight –warm and sweet as honey– filters through the perfumed garden. It’s time to relax after a long week of designing, planning, shopping and planting new gardens. French doors swing wide to the sun-soaked terrace, and I kick off my shoes. Strolling past the heady lilac and luminous, garnet-hued maple, I slowly make my way down the potager path. Golden straw warms the soles of my feet as I  fill a basket with fragrant herbs and fresh greens for dinner. Rounding the far corner of the garden, the scent of crushed peppermint fills the air. A tall glass of iced tea springs to mind, and I gather a bunch of aromatic leaves for my pitcher. And suddenly, I realize, it’s beginning to feel a lot like summertime …

Iced Tea with Lime & Peppermint

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1 quart/liter        Boiling Water

1 ounce               Fresh Lime Juice (about one lime)

1 tsp                    Artisan Honey

1 good bunch       Peppermint Leaves (to crush & for garnish)

2 teabags              Black Tea

Directions:

Crush 5-6 sprigs of peppermint at the bottom of a small, heatproof, glass pitcher. How much mint is a matter of personal preference. I think 3 springs per glass (about 15 leaves each) is a good place to start. Add lime juice and muddle. Add two bags of black tea and slowly fill the pitcher with one quart/liter of boiling water. Stir and pour in the honey. Allow the mixture to steep and cool to room temperature (you may also make ahead and refrigerate with a lid). Fill two glasses with ice and pour the tea over the cubes. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint and serve on a sultry afternoon. It’s almost summertime…

You may also enjoy this recipe for Lemon-Mint Sun Tea, Brewed in the Garden (click here for past post)

Prefer something stronger? You will love this Cuban Mint Julep (aka Mojito) recipe (click here)

Savoring the Pink-Gold Twilight Hours of Late Spring

Plants from top: In pot, Calibracho ‘Callie Orange’. In border: Syringa vulgaris ‘Mme. Lemoine’ & Weigela florida ‘Java Red’. Backlit tree: Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’. Above on hillside: Betula papyrifera (paper birch).

Article and Photographs â“’ Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, articles and content on this site, (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced or reposted without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Thank you!

Garden Design & Installation: Michaela Medina. For design inquiries, see my professional services page at left.

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