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Southern Fruit Tea!





Fruit Tea is a very southern beverage that has been around for years and years.  I am not completely sure where it got it's start, but I can almost guess the reason it was created came from the fact that we southerners do not waste anything.  We also know how to improvise when we don't have exactly what we need.

  
I can just picture some creative southern mama having juice leftover from breakfast and maybe also being a little short on sugar when making the tea for lunch and thinking, ..."hmmm, wonder if I dumped this orange juice I have leftover in the tea it would help sweeten it and still be really good?"   

So she did, and it was a hit and so next time she added a little pineapple juice also and then it just gained traction from there. 

Fruit Tea of this type is now served in the south as a beverage choice at various events....showers, receptions, and other sorts of special events and such.  However, some  southern restaurants and tea rooms serve their version of it also.  

There are many variations on this and it is not set in stone.  Different juices can be used.  This recipe is very summery and citrusy.  Some folks also like to use peaches or raspberry.   

This is great for a beverage choice for a wedding or baby shower and can be mixed and served like a punch in a punch bowl also.  

Here is what you will need for this:

2 family size tea bags or 8 individual tea bags
4 cups boiling water
1  1/2 - 2 cups sugar (according to your taste)
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade
1 cup pineapple juice
10 cups water
1 lemon, sliced in thin slices
1 lime, sliced in thin slices
1 orange, sliced in thin slices
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

Boil the tea bags in the 4 cups of boiling water just until it boils.  Turn off and cover to steep for at least 30 minutes.

In a gallon container (glass preferably) mix the warm tea with the sugar and stir to dissolve.  Once the sugar is completely dissolved add the orange juice, lemonade, and pineapple juice.  Stir to mix well.  Add the 10 cups of water and stir again.  

Make small cuts in the skin of the lemon, lime, and orange.  Just light cuts not through to the skin.  This releases the oils and flavor of the fruit. 

 Slice all three in thin slices and float in the fruit tea.  Add ice to completely fill the container and stir again.   To make it really pretty you can float the maraschino cherries in it! 





21 comments:

  1. Looks refreshing. But, I'm allergic to citrus. Any other fruit tea recipies?

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    Replies
    1. What about peach or raspberry?

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    2. Peach, strawberry, blackberry, mango (is that citrus?), or watermelon are all good tea flavors!

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  2. It sounds wonderful, but I'll bet you don't really need the sugar. All that fruit should be plenty and it is natural. Bertie

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    Replies
    1. No, you do need that much sugar. Remember this is a gallon of liquid and the tea is not sweetened. It is way too tart without sugar. You can adjust it to your taste, but this does need sugar.

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    2. Substitute a sweetener for the sugar?

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  3. I think it would be really sweet

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    Replies
    1. It is not really sweet. As a matter of fact, it's a little tart because of all of the fruit juice that is citrus.

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  4. WHY NOT TRY KIWI AND MELONS

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  5. I had this at a wedding once, it was simply fabulous! I loved it so much the lady that made it sent me the recipe. Simply the best I have ever tasted! Thanks Kathy for sharing it.

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  6. well goodness if it is too sweet dont make it...ty for the recipe sounds great to me.....

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  7. How many gallons does this make.

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    Replies
    1. From the list of ingredients it sounds like it would make 1 gallon.

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  8. This sounds absolutely yummy, and i will be making this for our get together for the forth, i just bought somenew mason jars as well, and would look great served in them, ...... thank you for sharing this, enjoy your 4th!!! <3 :)

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  9. I was thinking the same thing..."Don't make it or add splenda"....

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  10. I definitely am going to try this! Thank you! For years I was a Coke addict, I was drinking probably a 2 liter a day. My daughter got me off Coke with sweet tea. Still has caffeine but still much healthier than Coke! This fruit tea sounds delicious and there is no end to the variations you could make! Thanks again!

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  11. Don't forget to always wash your fruit well first. Sounds delicious!

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  12. Oh my goodness! We used to have this every summer in the mountains near Highlands, NC. It was made by "Mama Shirley" and was called simply:"Yaller Tea, Y'all". It was absolutely delicious. Am going to save the recipe.

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  13. I like fruit flavored ice teas but I don't like sweetened ice teas.

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  14. Reminds me f Russian Tea from the South'

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  15. If you like mint, add fresh mint to the tea when it is steeping. Remove mint before adding the tea to the other ingredients. Garnish the glass of tea with couple of mint leaves.

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