Citrus Mint Tea

I live in California's central valley, where, contrary to commonly held perceptions about California, temperatures in the summer soar over 100 degrees, and drop to below freezing in the winter.  Where I live, the closest thing to a beach is a river, and unless you're in that river, being outside in the summer is pretty miserable.  This makes tending the garden pretty difficult at times.  My boyfriend, a San Diego native, hates anything above 80 degrees.  So when temperatures were already at 70 degrees at 9am this morning, he decided we needed to be prepared for the rest of the day.  Enter the second most refreshing drink I've ever had (first place is held by ice water with cucumber slices in it).

This is really simple to make.  Grab a pitcher and make some ice tea.  Make sure it's plain tea, not flavored.  Cut up a few slices of an orange, and add a handful of fresh mint.  Then let it sit for about 20 min before drinking so that all the flavors soak in to the tea.  What you get is a mint flavored tea with a slight orange after taste.  And it's amazing.  It's even more delicious after coming in from yard work.

If you squeeze the orange juice into the tea it might be too overpowering.  But letting it soak sangria-style gives it a light flavor.

And make sure your mint is fresh, like just picked.  Otherwise the flavor won't be as crisp.