June is National Ice Tea Month in addition to being National Dairy Month, Father’s Day, Men’s Health, and other celebrations. Iced tea is often served in a glass with ice, and it may be sweetened. Tea can be made from tea leaves or from a packaged drink. Some like to mix it with flavored syrup or with flavors including lemon, peach, raspberry, lime, and cherry.

While most iced teas get their flavor from tea leaves, other herb-infused beverages are also sometimes served cold and referred to as iced tea.

June is called National Iced Tea Month. It has been said that a tea vendor at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair popularized the drink. When visitors to the sweltering World’s Fair turned down free hot tea, he ran it through iced pipes to chill the beverage. Word quickly spread about his cold or iced tea.

There are some great things you can use to spruce up your tea. Try creating a specialty iced tea dessert by making a float, pouring iced tea into a glass and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Top with whipped cream and slice fresh fruits like peaches or apricots into dessert bowls. Pour iced tea over the fruit and garnish with berries. Blend iced tea with cranberry juice. Serve over crushed ice in tall glasses and garnish with mint sprig or orange slice. Another great tea is made by garnishing your iced tea with a mint sprig or lemon slice. Float an orange or lime slice on the ice. For more festive garnishes, use toothpicks or cocktail picks to skewer strawberries, blueberries and other small fruit.

Also remember the steeped tea leaves can be put in your potted house plants on top of the dirt to help the plants grow. Tea is a good for medicinal purposes as for drinking.

This is a great summer drink. It is called Colada Cooler.

If you have any questions or would like to share some of your tips for working and living in Pecos County with our readers, call me at the Pecos County AgriLife Extension Services, 432-336-2541.

COLADA COOLER

• 1-1/2 cups boiling water

• 6 orange herbal tea bags

• 2 cups (1 pint) vanilla ice cream

• 8 oz. crushed pineapple in natural juice, undrained

• 2 tbsp. flaked coconut

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 1 cup ice cubes (about 6-8)

In teapot, pour boiling water over orange herbal tea bags. Cover and brew five minutes. Remove tea bags and cool. In blender, combine tea, ice cream, pineapple, coconut, and honey. Process at high speed until blended. Add ice cubes, one at a time. Process until ice is blended.

ICED TEA SHAKE

1 quart boiling water

• 6 tea bags

• 2 cups (1 pint) any flavor sherbet or ice cream

Pour boiling water over tea bags in teapot. Cover and brew five minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze. Chill. Process 2-1/2 cups tea with sherbet in blender at high speed until blended. Garnish, if desired, with strawberries. Serves four.

FRUIT TEA PUNCH

• 2 bags golden green tea

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1 cup honey

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 cup fresh fruit, crushed

• 1 pint ginger ale

Make tea per instructions on the tea bags. Allow it to cool. Mix all ingredients except ginger ale. Just before serving, add ginger ale and crushed ice. If the punch is too strong for your taste, you can dilute with ice water or more ginger ale.