During the hot humid summer months, I enjoy coming up with new ways to use my crockpot in the kitchen. If my slow cooker is going to take up space, it needs to earn its keep. Don’t let summer pass you by without a glass of this refreshing blueberry-laced iced tea.
September 22nd is the beginning of fall; that’s three days from now. I don’t know about y’all, but I know that I’m a little shocked. I mean, I know I’ve been all about decorating our house for Halloween and planning our annual costume party, but autumn still just feels so far away somehow. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that we all better enjoy these last few days of warmth and sunshine while we can, because if fall managed to sneak up on us so quickly without us realizing it, then it’s quite possible that winter will do the same thing. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly not anywhere near ready to don a winter coat yet.
So I’d like to hear what you didn’t do this summer that you would have liked to do and if you think you still have time to do it. I personally would have loved to go to the beach one more time, go camping or should I say glamping, laid out in the sun for a few days lazily reading a book, play hooky from work to go to DC for the day, and host one super-mega ice cream social. I also would have enjoyed arranging a picnic day in the park with all of my local friends, going to a few more outdoor concerts, sitting around the fire pit more often, and hopping on a plane for the weekend to go see friends that I haven’t seen in way too long.
Is there still time to do all of those things? Probably not for me, but it’s at least a reminder that time goes by way too fast and that I need to embrace every little ol’ second of it. So, what will y’all do in these last three days of summer to make them count? Will you just sludge to work every day, hit the gym, watch television, and then fall into bed to do it all over again the next day? Or will you brew up a batch of blueberry-laced iced tea, kick back on the deck, fire up the grill, and enjoy every last warm breeze of summer?
Ingredients:
- 12 Cups Water
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 4 Family-Size Tea Bags
- Ice
Directions:
- Place the water, sugar, blueberries, and salt in a crockpot; cook for 3 hours on low heat.
- Turn off the crockpot.
- Steep the tea bags in the liquid for 5 minutes before discarding them.
- Allow the tea to cool for 2 hours.
- Strain and discard the blueberries before pouring the tea into a pitcher.
- Serve with ice.
Suggestions:
- The blueberries will have lost most of their flavor in the hot water, so I don’t recommend eating them.
- Feel free to garnish the tea with a few blueberries if so desired.
- Make sure to serve with plenty of ice. Try freezing a few blueberries in each ice cube to serve.
Improvements:
- Garnish with mint before serving.
- Replace the blueberries with blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
Ingredients:
- 12 Cups Water
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 4 Family-Size Tea Bags
- Ice
Directions:
- Place the water, sugar, blueberries, and salt in a crockpot; cook for 3 hours on low heat.
- Turn off the crockpot.
- Steep the tea bags in the liquid for 5 minutes before discarding them.
- Allow the tea to cool for 2 hours.
- Strain and discard the blueberries before pouring the tea into a pitcher.
- Serve with ice.
PIN THIS RECIPE
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TASTE OF HOME FEATURED RECIPE
This “Blueberry Iced Tea” recipe has been featured in Taste of Home. CLICK HERE to see the recipe. This recipe was featured in the 2022 Taste of Home “Holiday & Celebrations” Cookbook.
Crockpot Monday Link-Up Party #16:
Welcome to the Crockpot Monday Link-Up Party. If you are interested in joining, please use the inlinkz link-up button to add your own original crockpot recipe. It’s just a crockpot, Monday, dinner, and hopefully a whole lotta yummy, uncomplicated, and time-saving scrumptious food. Please follow along at Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck for future Crockpot Monday posts, join our Facebook page, or even get ideas on Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck’s Crockpot Monday Ideas Pinterest page. There’s even a special Crockpot Monday badge you can find HERE if you are interested in joining along.
Crockpot Monday Rules:
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- Please link-up only original crockpot recipes created by you.
- One link-up per person, please.
- Try to visit at least a few other link-ups to leave a few words of thoughtful encouragement. Spread the crockpot love y’all.