Lavender Ice Tea Recipe

In spring, there's nothing better than a refreshing herbal ice tea in the afternoon. My favorite way to brew ice tea is with fresh herbs, but if you only have dried, that works too.
Lavender Ice Tea
2 Tbsp. Lavender flowers (1 tablespoon dry)
1 Tbsp. Lemon balm (1 teaspoon dry, or one lemon slice)
1 Tbsp. Mint (1 teaspoon dry, applemint is best, but spearmint works well too)
3 Tbsp. Honey
Directions for Lavender Ice Tea
Pour six cups of boiling water on herbs and steep for ten to fifteen minutes.
Cool to room temperature.
Add lemon slice after cooling if you're using it instead of lemon balm.
Add honey and stir.
Add crushed ice.
Special Note: If you like something more traditional, try adding a tablespoon of lavender flowers to your favorite tea blend, like English breakfast. To make a pot, add the lavender flowers to a tea infuser or muslin bag with your regular brew. Allow to steep for five minutes.
For information about the health benefits of lavender, visit the Lavender Summary created by Natural Standard with the help of the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. It will give you some insight into the scope of current research into the medicinal value of lavender.
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Photo: Trish Steel [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Lavender%27s_Blue_Dilly_Dilly_-_geograph.org.uk_-_494966.jpg