by Texas Homesteader ~

I like to serve healthier beverages. It’s important to drink water, but sometimes it get cat boring. What about a minty drink that’s sugar free. Is there any such thing?

Recently I was looking at my mint bed which is doing VERY well #thankyouverymuch. A little too well actually. It’s spreading in places I’d rather it not grow.

But while I was thinning the rambling mint runners, it smelled so dang good. I wondered if I could use it for a refreshingly-cold minty drink?

Other Drink Options

When it’s summertime in NE Texas, it’s hot, hot, HOT! RancherMan used to drink way too many colas as his beverage of choice. But it was so unhealthy. And expensive. And produced lots of trash.

So I started brewing him Sun Tea. It was a good change! RancherMan got to enjoy a much lower-cost beverage that was healthier for him. And the only waste was the tea bag which I placed in my compost.

But can I make an even lower-waste, lower cost beverage from this refreshing mint? Let’s give it a try.

Everything I Need, Growing Right Here At Home!

So I brought in the mint trimmings and washed & stripped the leaves. I measured out a cup packed tightly with those leaves.

When the leaves were washed & measured I crushed them between my hands to release the most minty flavor. I dropped those crushed leaves into my sun tea jar.

RancherMan’s Sweet Tooth

But RancherMan’s sure got a sweet tooth. He likes sweet drinks. Hummmm… I’ve got that gorgeous Stevia plant growing right outside for sugar-free sweetener whenever I want it. Why not put it to use here?

So I pulled about a 10-12″ stem of Stevia & washed and stripped those leaves as well, crushing them and adding them to the jar along with the mint leaves.

Brewing The Minty Beverage Using Only The Sun

I placed my fancy-schmancy Sun Tea jar (aka: repurposed picante sauce jar) into that hot Texas sun for about 6 hours. Your time may vary depending upon the intensity of the sun.

When the minty beverage was fully brewed it was about the same color as brewed green tea.

So I brought it in, strained out the leaves and served a icy glass of this minty delight to RancherMan, asking him what he thought.

RancherMan’s Reaction

• “That’s pretty good. Sweet & very minty.” he said.
• “Wow. That’s REALLY good!” he continued.
• “I’d absolutely drink that – brew more next time instead of the regular tea!” he exclaimed.

Well I’d say that was a raving endorsement!

So in essence… I’ve completed some ‘weeding’ chores in my landscape beds while also being able to provide RancherMan a refreshing, sugar-free sweet minty beverage for absolutely FREE?

Yes please!

Here’s the ‘recipe’ in case you want to try it yourself!

~TxH~

Our Favorite Homemade Drinks

• Chai Tea Mix
• Healthy Rehydration: Haymaker’s Punch
• Homemade Velvety Chocolate Hot Cocoa
• Watermelon Daiquiri (or Smoothie)
• Sun Tea – Brewed With The Power Of The Sun
• Cool, Refreshing Sweet Mint Beverage

• My Favorite Garden Hacks

  

  • Easy Garden Planning Spreadsheet
  • Getting A Jump: Planting An Indoor Greenhouse
  • Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots
  • 3-Sister’s Garden – The Original Companion Planting
  • Low-Cost Vegetable Gardening
  • Planting A Large Galvanized Trough
  • Using Cheap Biodegradable Weed Block
  • Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
  • Easy Compost For A Healthy Garden
  • Propping Tender Seedlings
  • Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
  • Homestead Hack: Remember Where You Planted Seeds
  • How Vegetable Gardening Can Change Your Life!
  • Easy Deep-Soak Watering
  • Planting Potatoes In Galvanized Trough
  • Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!

  MORE Gardening Posts

Using The Sun

• Meatloaf In A Solar Oven
• Cheesy Chile-Chicken Casserole
• Boneless Breaded Pork Chops
• SW Chicken w/Seasoned Brown Rice
• BBQ Pork Sandwiches
• Homemade Marinara Sauce
• Pumpkin Bread
• Baking Bread In A Solar Oven
• Cooking Hard-Boiled Eggs In A Solar Oven
• Baking Potatoes In A Solar Oven
• Brewing Tea With The Sun
• Emergency Preparedness On The Homestead

You can see our other SOLAR articles here

 

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