Russian Tea

 

 

Russian Tea

 

This cinnamon and clove spiced tea is one of my favorite winter recipes.  I have no idea where my mother got this recipe - likely the newspaper but we have had it at least 50 years.  Every year, as soon as cold weather arrived, Mother would make this tasty drink.

 

No instant tea and certainly none of that awful bottled lemon juice here.  Everything is fresh and what a difference it makes!

 

Here is what you will need:

 

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

26 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

 

Simmer the above 4 ingredients in a saucepan for 20-30 minutes.  Keep the pan covered.  I just removed the lid for the photo.

 

 

 

 



Squeeze and strain the juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon into a large pitcher (I am doubling the recipe so you see more fruit here).

 



 

Brew one quart of tea. 

 

 

Add to the fruit juices.  Strain the spice mixture into the tea and juice mixture, discarding the spices.  Stir and enjoy!

 



 

I almost always double this recipe, keeping it in the refrigerator to warm up one delicious cup at a time.

 



Of course,  you can make a tasty instant mix, using instant tea, Tang and other ingredients

 ( I don't have a recipe for this).

One of my students gave me this cute cupcake container filled with the instant tea mix for Christmas.  I have enjoyed it at home and at school.

 

 

If you haven't tried the brewed tea variety, the fast approaching winter vortex will give you the perfect reason to stir up a batch.

 

Enjoy and stay warm!

 



Feller's Fig Tree - New Life

 

Feller's Fig Tree

 

 

2013 was truly a year of new life for the Jetton family.

 

There was no shopping for this family on Black Friday!  Instead, we gathered in Easley, SC for the first time in several years.  A new generation began for our family this year with the birth of four new babies.  Four in one year! 

 

On their way to SC, my two children and their spouses stopped at their paternal grandparents' home and took cuttings from the fig tree beside their side porch door.  The tree was mature when I first met the family 45 year ago.

 

My daughter-in-law has always admired that tree and loves figs as well.  She thought that everyone might like to have a cutting and watched several videos on rooting fig trees.

 

My son, the oldest grandchild, always called his grandfather Feller, hence the name of the tree.  That is not the species name!

 

Each family received two "sticks" , wrapped with a moistened paper towel in a Ziploc bag.



 

Next, we just watched for roots to appear, opening the bag once or twice a day to let in a little fresh air.

 

 

January 19

Houston, we have roots!  These could have been planted sooner.

 

These two pots were in my craft closet.  They have good drainage so they are perfect.

 

Caroline helped add the gravel to the bottom of the pots.

 

 

And she helped with the planting.  Such a little gardener.

 

 

I covered each pot with a Ziploc bag to create a little greenhouse.  Hopefully in a few months, these will be ready to transplant  into larger pots outdoors and into the ground later on.

 

My parents-in-law are both gone now and the home will undoubtedly be sold in the near future.  These trees will be special to all of us.  Hopefully one day, each of the babies will take cuttings from these new growths to start their own trees.  New life, all from Feller's tree.

 

And speaking of new life, here are the four babies at Thanksgiving:

 

2014 will be a busy year, as we watch these babies and the fig trees grow.

Happy New Year!