Me and Iced Tea from Nancy D.
Every summer I keep a steady supply of iced tea in my fridge. I make it from a recipe I’ve had since I was, oh, 10 or something. It’s straight from my copy of The Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking, copyright 1973, my edition printed in 1975.
I keep making this recipe because it’s the best iced tea I’ve ever had. There’s a secret ingredient in the tea: real mint leaves added while the tea is hot and steeping. The practical side of me likes the added benefit of making use of the mint that threatens to overrun a corner of my backyard.
The nostalgic side of me likes to pull out this recipe book because I get to remember what it was like to make this tea when I was young.
When making any recipe was a real accomplishment.
When I spent my summers reading in the shade on the patio swing.
When I built forts in the treeline with my best friend.
When my best friend and I climbed the old cherry trees in her yard and ate all the cherries we could reach.
When evenings were full of games of kick the can or ghost in the graveyard.
When summer stretched out in front of me like an endless expanse of possibility.
So I’m off now to make another batch of tea. You’re welcome to join me.
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