Pineappleweed & Ginger Iced Tea

Lemongrass was grown by my neighbour, pineappleweed from here in Wreck Cove. I made sure to pick this plant in areas with no pollutants, heavy traffic, pets, etc. I grabbed the flowers only and I gave them a thorough washing and patted them dry, making the simple syrup shortly after.

First I brought a medium pot to boil with water and dehydrated lemongrass, then I added the fresh pinappleweed and the sugar. I only added half of the sugar (1 cup) to about 4 cups of water, plus these ingredients - I wanted to finish it off once it was cooler with raw honey (from my bee hives!). Note: most people use more sugar than I do, but I like it a little less sweet and a bit more tangy.

I later added shredded ginger once I liked the taste level of the pineappleweed and reduced a bit further to make the syrup. Once it reduced a bit I took it off of the element to cool. Once it was warm but not hot, I added 3/4 cups of raw honey.

I brewed 4 black tea bags to about 8 cups of water earlier which was now cool. I added the tea and the now cold simple syrup together, plus several lemon/limes worth of juice and some zest. I left this overnight and strained it when I was ready to serve.