Wild Plum Tea On A Hot Summer Day!

The theme this week for Scavenger Hunters at ESN is:  Hot Weather.  After a rather cool June, we are finally getting some hot, hot weather.  100 degrees + that I think is going to last most of the week.  Love it!
My favorite drink in the summer is Wild Plum Tea.  I guess it was about 20 years ago, my mother, son and I went to visit my daughter in Tennessee down around the Smoky Mountains.  One day, we took a side trip to Gatlinburg and visited the Arts and Crafts Community.  Pottery shops, candle stores, leather shop, woodcarving shops - just all sorts of great places to browse and even watch some demonstrate their craft.  We came upon a small tea shop called The Wild Plum Tea Room.  We ate lunch and had the most wonderful miniture banana muffins and wild plum tea.  I bought Cindy Freeman Black's cookbook called "All My Best Recipes", but it did not have the recipe for The Wild Plum Tea.  Cindy so graciously gave me her recipe (see recipe at end of blog).  Lots of sugar - I keep trying to cut back on that, though.  It is just to die for and so refreshing on a hot summer day.  A perfect tumbler to serve Wild Plum Tea.

Visit the Arts and Crafts Community of Gatlinburg.    
Visit CAROLINABLUELADY Vintage Collectibles for other great vintage glassware.

Wild Plum Tea
1 quart boiling water
4 family size tea bags
2 cups sugar (I don't use the full 2 cups anymore)
2 cups water 
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups cold water
orange slices if desired

Steep tea bags in boiling water 5 minutes. Combine sugar and water and boil for 5 minutes. Add to tea mixture. Stir in orange juice and lemon juice along with cold water.

Makes 3 quarts
Nothing better on a hot summer day, than to sit in a rocker on the front porch with a tall cold glass of wild plum tea and remember all the wonderful memories of the past. Enjoy!!!!!!!!