"summer drink" news and stories

Thanks to some great feedback on how to use up some of my (organic) cucumbers, I managed to work my way through them. I ended up making another batch of cucumber salad, used some thick slices to add crunch to falafel sandwiches and made a big batch of the Cucumber Agua Fresca that Slashfood reader Freyja suggested. It was incredibly refreshing and a very ice contrast to a summer standard, like lemonade. I loved the lime flavor. I used a simple sugar syrup to sweeten the drink, which worked beautifully. Thanks for the recipe, Freyja!

Take 3 large cucumbers, peel and cut into chunks. Puree with 1 1/2 cups water, then strain into a large pitcher to remove the pulp. Add 3-4 cups more water (still or sparkling), the juice of two limes (more, if desired) and about 1/4 cup or sugar syrup, or to taste.
Chill until serving.

Fortunately, it appears that the last few were killed off by the 104F+ heat that they were subjected to this week, so I won't have to worry about more cucumbers until the plant manages to revive itself. Judging by how aggressively the thing grew, if shouldn't take long, but I'll take a week or two of reprieve when I can get it.

In summer, iced tea is an excellent choice of beverage. It's cool, refreshing and easy to make. While some may like sweet tea or even sun tea the best, I prefer to make mine fairly plain and start it on the stovetop.

One of the most common mistakes with iced tea is that the tea leaves are brewed for too long, which causes the tea to become bitter. The best brewing strategy is to increase the amount of tea or the number of tea bags you use, while keeping the steeping time the same as you would for one cup.

Start on the stovetop with only a cup or two of water. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add in three or four times the normal amount of tea leaves/bags you use for a cup or two. Once they have steeped for several minutes, remove the bags and stir in your desired amount of sugar (or other sweetener). Using hot water will allow the sugar to dissolve quickly and easily, not to mention that a small amount of water will both heat up an cool down faster than boiling a whole pitcher's worth. Add cold water after the sugar is dissolved to dilute the strong tea and cool the drink down. Top of with some ice and refrigerate until ready to drink - or enjoy right away, since it should be a nice, cool temperature already.

If you're in a time crunch, Lipton's Iced Tea Teabags - which brew in cold water in minutes - are always nice to have on standby.