Have any of you started your spring planting yet?  Most Northerners wait until Mother’s Day weekend… but down here in the South, the planting has begun!  Maureen and I love fresh herbs, and Maureen planted her herb topiaries last weekend.  We thought it would be great to share different recipes throughout the spring and summer season using fresh herbs from your garden!  They are easy to grow, but not everyone knows what to do with fresh herbs or how to maximize their usage.  Today we will show you a twist on Ice Tea inspired from Maureen’s recent trip to Dubai!  This is a perfect drink to serve at baby showers, bridal showers, or luncheons!

Fresh Herb of the day:  Mint (it is a fast-growing perennial, so be careful where you plant it… pots are a great alternative to planting directly in the ground).

Iced Tea with Fresh Mint and Lemon Gelato
Ingredients:
Iced Tea (I cook a large pot on the stove with 3 bags of Chai, 3 bags of blueberry green tea, and 3 bags of black tea with a little bit of sugar)
Fresh Mint
Lemon Zest
Lemon Gelato
Lemon Wedge (for garnish)

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Directions:
1. Brew your tea and refrigerate.

2. Zest lemon using a fine grader (you just need a pinch per serving glass); set aside
3. Chop fresh mint (if you like it really minty), and pull apart small leaves; set aside
4. Cut lemon wedges for garnish; set aside
5. Pour iced tea in each glass (add a couple mint leaves to tea)
6. Add one scoop (or two if you like) of lemon gelato and put into tea
7. Sprinkle lemon zest and chopped mint on top of gelato scoop
8. Garnish with lemon wedge

**Note:  Maureen said that in Dubai, they used lemon sorbet – this would be a great option, if you don’t like your tea creamy (I put milk in my tea, so the gelato was perfect for me!)
Also – if you don’t like textured tea, you can do a hot infusion with your fresh mint instead.  Just put the mint leaves in the water while it is boiling… and strain your tea to remove the leaves, once it is done. Forgo the lemon zest and chopped mint as well.  This is just as fresh, but a little more smooth.

**Party Idea:  add a paper straw with a printable party flag to celebrate your special occasion!

Above party flag included in our Printable Monogram Baby Shower Collection

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We will show you more recipes using fresh herbs from your garden throughout the season – leave us a comment if you have any requests to learn about a certain herb!!!