Hot! Humid! Sweaty days making you feel a bit like a fading flower? To stay cool and perky in the summer, we need a lot of extra fluids so you feel less like a dropping flower. How much? Depends on your age and what you are doing. Everyone's different. We are supposed to drink about 10 ½ cups of liquid a day....men need more and women need a bit less. AHH, you may be thinking: "That's a lot to drink!!" At Harvest Home, we found a lot of delicious, easy ways to help you get the liquids you need.
Start with what you eat: Snack on summer's fruits and veggies, like watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes. Delicious refreshment (and extra nutrition) you need on hot days.
Drink the right liquids. Soda and flavored juices are loaded with sugar. They actually make your body generate heat! More heat is not what you want. The best thing to drink is lots of plain water. Are you thinking: "BORING!" Take the "boring" out of water.
Keep it cool in the refrigerator. Add refreshing flavor with herbs, pieces of fruit or even veggies. See tips below.
Use club soda or seltzer instead of water. Mix ¼ cup lime juice and 1 thinly sliced cucumber into 2 cans of cold club soda.
Refresh with Slushies made with melon like watermelon-lime or honeydew-ginger: See recipes.
Make new kinds of iced tea:
Our favorite hot weather drink is African red tea (Rooibos Tea) poured over ice! Try it and you'll understand how people in Africa, where it's really hot, beat the heat! See recipes below and check out these at https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2018/06/20/seven-refreshing-herbal-teas-you-should-be-drinking-this-summer/#1b76d6233524.
Stay cool. Enjoy the beauty of summer!
RECIPES: New Refreshing Tastes
Summer Melon Slushies: A "simple syrup" + flavoring + melon frozen
Tablespoons of sugar, ¼ cup of water & ¼ teaspoon salt. Lower heat & simmer (don't stir) until sugar dissolves. (2-3 minutes) Remove from heat.
Slush: Add flavoring to simple syrup. Puree ½ the melon with ½ the syrup. Repeat. Strain into meat loaf or square pan. Cover and freeze for about 8 hours...till it sets.
Ready to serve: With a fork scrape melon ice, into large flakes. Put in glasses. Add a splash of water or soda water.
Combos that refresh:
Watermelon: 6 lb watermelon + juice of 4 limes
Honeydew: 2-4 lb melons + 2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Cantaloupe: 1 cantaloupe + 2 large sprigs of fresh basil
Adding fruit or spices or using different teas you can create a whole new kind of refreshment.
Peach Mint Tea
8 tea bags
4 ripe peaches, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 small bunch of mint
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil & add 8 tea bags. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add peaches & mint to tea and chill. For a milder flavor, add fruit before drinking. Remove the fruit after one day in the refrigerator.
Minty Green Ginger Root Tea: A great stress reducer & good for digestion.
Put 2-3 green tea tea bags in a teapot with 2 inches of grated ginger & a few sprigs of mint. Fill the pot with boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over ice.
TIPS: Take the Boring Out of Water
Icy cold tap water with a hint of flavor can keep you cool and refreshed....and save you a lot of $$$. Plain or flavored, keep a large pitcher of water in the refrigerator so it's cool when you need it.
Basic Recipe: There aren't any rules. You can start with this as a basis and get as creative as you want.
One cup of fruit or vegetables
A few sprigs of herbs, like thyme or mint
8 cups of water
Combine all the ingredients in a pitcher and stir around. Crush the fruit a little or let it float on the top.
A splash of refreshment: Plain Water Plus
Add fruit, herbs or spices to a pitcher of water cool in the refrigerator overnight. Just keep adding water to the pitcher as you drink it. It will last about a week. Try some of these combos
Mint adds a refreshing taste to almost any beverage
½ a lemon and ½ a lime cut into slices
4 or 5 long cucumber stick about ¾ inch thick
About ¼ to a ½ of pineapple cut in chunks
Chunks of watermelon or cantaloupe; honeydew with a bit of basil
More combos at https://deliciously organic.net/flavored-water-recipes/
African Red Tea (Rooibos): A refreshing mouth feel you can't beat! Buy loose tea for better taste and better price
Put 2 heaping teaspoons tea in a teapot or glass quart jar. Fill with boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pour over ice through a strainer to get rid of the tea leaves.
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