• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Keeper of the Home retina logo

Naturally inspired living for homemakers

  • About
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Search
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Homemaking
  • Family
  • Natural Living
  • Homemade & DIY
  • Natural Remedies
  • Real Food
  • Recipes
  • Join Our Community
  • Resources
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap
  • Homemaking
  • Family
  • Natural Living
  • Homemade & DIY
  • Natural Remedies
  • Real Food
  • Recipes
You are here: Home » Blog » Real Food » Recipes » Simple Summer Herbs: Refreshing Infusions
Simple Summer Herbs: Refreshing Infusions

Simple Summer Herbs: Refreshing Infusions

June 10, 2011     Keeper of the Home    13 Comments

la 102840 1107 lemonade xl

By Meg Dickey, contributing writer

Behold the flowers that deck the field,
The gentle breeze perfuming
And tender herbs their fragrance yield
Are health and life diffusing.
~Harvard Shaker Community Herb Catalog, 1843~

For some of us, the tantalizing breezes of summer are already wafting over our gardens. As the days warm and the herbs in our gardens increase in size and production, there’s no better time to indulge in a pitcher of iced herbal tea, or herb flavored water kefir.

There are some standard herbs that make wonderful tea – mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena – but don’t limit yourself! One of my new favorite summer blends is a combination of lemon basil, basil, lemon rind, and stevia leaf. It makes a nearly perfect effervescent lemonade when cultured with my water kefir grains!

Try these other tea herbs to boost your summer flavors!

  • lavender, rose petals, borage blossoms: wonderful floral taste, and you can add rosehips for a little sweetness!
  • anise hyssop: delicate taste of licorice & mint (another one of my favorites for water kefir!)
  • chocolate mint: this is divine when you’re craving something sweet!
  • hibiscus & chrysanthemum: our drink of choice on blistering hot days. Chrysanthemum promotes sweating, which cools our body down. Hibiscus adds a refreshing tart taste that perks us right up.
  • lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, lemon basil, lemon geranium: summer tastes like lemon to me! Any of these herbs, separately or combined – are wonderfully refreshing. I like to float lemon slices in the top of the pitcher whenever I’ve made a lemony-herb infusion. Very pretty!

To brew an herbal infusion:

Harvest leaves and flowers and rinse. Put a few handfuls into a pitcher (I usually use a half gallon mason jar) and fill with cold water. Refrigerate overnight. Strain, pouring over ice, and garnish with fresh leaves and flowers.

You can sweeten to taste, but I usually choose to throw a little stevia leaf in with the herbs if I think it will need it. Always try it without sweetness first – I’ve sweetened many an infusion with stevia, licorice, or cinnamon, helping to avoid adding any more sugar to our diet.

Simple Summer Herbs- Refreshing Infusions {Keeper of the Home}

Next time, I’ll be talking about using herbs to stay cool naturally in summer!

What are some of your favorite herbal infusion combinations?

top photo credit

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Share this post:

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on PinterestShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

Category: Homemaking, Natural Living, Natural Remedies, Real Food, Recipes

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Get our latest posts, right to your inbox.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

{No spam, ever.}

You May Also Like

  • Natural First Aid for Summer Ailments 4
    Natural First Aid for Summer Ailments
  • How to Make Natural Lip Balm (with Video) #DIYFriday 10
    How to Make Natural Lip Balm (with Video) #DIYFriday
  • 1
    3 Herbal Iced Tea Recipes to Beat the Heat
  • Still Enjoying My Summer Harvest
  • DIY Detox Tea
    DIY Detox Tea
  • Stocking Your Summer Medicine Cabinet (Plus 23 recipes)
    Stocking Your Summer Medicine Cabinet (Plus 23 recipes)
Previous Post: «Home Again and Such Patient Winners Home Again and Such Patient Winners
Next Post: Looking Through a Child’s Eyes Looking Through a Child's Eyes»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lois

    June 10, 2011 at 3:54 AM

    Do you find any difference in flavor strength using fresh vs. dried herbs? I have grown stevia for several years now, and it seems to me that it’s sweeter after it’s been dried. Also, with stevia if you don’t let it flower it won’t have that bitter aftertaste, so keep pinching it and it will get nice & bushy and no aftertaste.

    Reply
    • Meg

      June 10, 2011 at 7:59 AM

      @Lois, I really appreciate the flavor of fresh stevia in these, versus dried. I think it gives a brighter flavor, without that “artificial” bitterness that I find when purchasing the dried herb (my homedried tastes better than bought, too). Right now though, licorice is my go-to sweetening herb. 🙂

      Reply
  2. stacey

    June 10, 2011 at 6:20 AM

    i feel refreshed just after reading the post! these sound wonderful. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Angel S.

    June 10, 2011 at 6:40 AM

    I just received some water kefir grains a few weeks ago and am still learning how to use them. Do you put the herbs in the water while it is culturing or add them after you remove the grains?
    Also, so far I have found the water kefir to be sweeter than I was expecting. I only use 1/4 C. of organic sugar per quart of water. Is that correct?
    What other ways can I use the water kefir? I feel guilty pouring it out, but can only drink a small glass a day.

    Reply
    • Meg

      June 10, 2011 at 6:27 PM

      @Angel S., I add my herbs after I’ve cultured the water kefir for 24 hours. I do a “double ferment” without the grains for another 12-24 hours after adding the herbs. I find this eliminates a great deal of the sweetness of the water kefir. And yes, I use about 1/3 cup of sugar to my little-less-than 1/2 gallon size jar, so about 1/4 c. per quart would be right. You can throw a few more kefir grains in there, if it’s still too sweet after 24-36 hours for you.
      Water kefir keeps for up to a week (although ours rarely lasts that long), so even drinking one small glass a day should keep up with your quart size jar. Try the different flavorings – I dislike plain water kefir, so I flavor it to add interest. 😉 You can flavor one pint one way, and another pint differently. Mix it up a little. 🙂

      I use it to water my plants if for some reason I have excess amounts… but we rarely do. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Sarah

    June 10, 2011 at 7:41 AM

    My parents made lemon geranium ice-cream once. Yummy!

    Reply
    • Meg

      June 10, 2011 at 6:27 PM

      @Sarah, That sounds fantastic! Mmm…

      Reply
  5. Amanda

    June 10, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    Ooooh, I can’t wait to try out some infusions this summer when my herb garden takes off! Thanks for the delicious ideas.

    Reply
  6. Terri

    June 10, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    I am so glad you posted this info! I was just looking at my lemon balm and wondered what to do with it. I have been growing it for about 3 years and NEVER have used it.
    Also, do Stevia plants come back each year? I just bought two this year but don’t know much about them.
    Any suggestions on growing basil? Mine keeps dying….uggh.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Meg

      June 10, 2011 at 6:49 PM

      @Terri, My stevia plants come back, but we live in a fairly mild area. Basil can be really fickle – sometimes it’s something like too much water, or too much sun. 🙂 Keep trying different techniques, and see if that helps (More water, less water, more sun, less sun). If all else fails, switch to a curly leaf basil, or the purple basil, or the ruffled basil – they all have different temperaments. 🙂

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home

        June 11, 2011 at 10:54 AM

        @Meg, I’m trying purple basil this year in addition to my regular basil. Do you find that the taste is really similar? It smells almost the same, but it looks so unique. 🙂

        Reply
        • Meg

          June 16, 2011 at 5:25 PM

          @Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home, Yes, I’d say it has a more colorful flavor – as in, I can pick it out blindfolded. 😉 It just tastes… purple. But really, it’s pretty much the same. And it makes a GREAT pesto for kids! I’ll swirl green and purple pesto in a bowl, and they totally get a kick out of the colors. 🙂

          Reply
  7. becky

    June 18, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    Thanks for the great ideas, I’ve never heard of this before am and enjoying my herbal infusions daily! What a great idea…..I had the same problem not knowing what to do with the lemon balm….

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.
Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Sign Up Now

Get our latest posts, right to your inbox.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

{No spam, ever.}

Popular Posts

How to Make Your Own Natural Makeup #DIYFriday (with Video) 11

How to Make Your Own Natural Makeup (with Video)

How to Make Your Own Natural Makeup (with Video)
12 Simple Homemade Spice Mixes 9

12 Simple Homemade Spice Mixes

12 Simple Homemade Spice Mixes
Dry feet are no fun! When skin on your feet becomes dry, it often causes itchiness, cracking, and even bleeding. But, never fear, this luxurious lotion will keep your feet soft and supple all winter. The oils and butters in this DIY foot lotion are highly moisturizing and nourishing to the skin. It's designed for the feet, but can be used on dry, cracked elbows and knees.

DIY All-Natural Lotion to Cure Dry Feet

DIY All-Natural Lotion to Cure Dry Feet
10 Truths You Need to Hear When You Feel Like a Failure as a Mom 3

10 Truths You Need to Hear When You Feel Like a Failure as a Mom

10 Truths You Need to Hear When You Feel Like a Failure as a Mom
10 Questions for Expectant Moms to Ask BEFORE the Third Trimester 2

10 Questions for Expectant Moms to Ask BEFORE the Third Trimester

10 Questions for Expectant Moms to Ask BEFORE the Third Trimester
The Ultimate Guide to Homemade All-Natural Cleaning Recipes 10

The Ultimate Guide to Homemade All-Natural Cleaning Recipes

The Ultimate Guide to Homemade All-Natural Cleaning Recipes
  • Join Our Community
  • Resources
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022 Keeper of the Home · All Rights Reserved · Privacy · Sitemap · Powered by Spears Marketing