Hibiscus
flower has been dried and drank as a tea around the world for centuries, and we’re going to show you some tasty ideas for Hibiscus Lemonade and Flower Ice perfect for summer!
Hibiscus is packed with so many healthful benefits, it’s bright color and fresh tartness is the ideal beverage iced for a summer afternoon. A favorite hot tea beverage as well for many of our customers.
With summer on the way it’s a quick and easy to keep a pitcher’s handy in fridge. Just steep a 1/4 cup of hibiscus leaves in 8 cups of water. Bring water to a boil and then turn off and let sit a total of 5 minutes. Place a strainer on top of your pitcher and pour the tea in, the strainer will catch the loose leaves.
This delicious pic is from DorasTable.com and it’s a hibiscus tea ice cube used in a margarita, which is a genius idea!
Hibiscus Ice
You can easily make bright and tasty ice cubes with your Hibiscus Tea too! Just steep your tea as usual, fill your ice trays and freeze. I enjoy leaving some of the tea leaves in the cubes for a little visual effect and you can eat them too! Look for our Hibiscus Syrup recipe in our recipes and the tips we give for using the tea leaves for other dishes.
Hibiscus cubes make a fabulous addition to Lemonade and as they melt make a delicious summertime beverage!
You can also use any variety of edible flowers, just make sure your flowers have not been sprayed by pesticides or by chemical growth powders. Just look at these lovely flowered ice cubes we found on the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicines page- deliciously gorgeous!
Other fresh edible flowers you can freeze in cubes are listed below. Many flowers have a peppery, almost bitter taste to them but that often complements a sweet drink very well! Make sure to only eat the petals, do not eat flowers that have been sprayed by pesticides or chemical growth, make sure to be 100% on identification before consumption, don’t pick roadside flowers due to chemicals and pollutants, and to keep flowers fresh, place them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container, some will last up to 10 days this way and ice water can revitalize limp flowers!
- dandelions
- marigolds
- calendula
- nasturtiums
- carnations
- chrysanthemums
- clover
- gladiolus
- english daisy
- holly hock
- lavender
- lilac
- pansy
- sunflower
- violets