Very sweet iced tea is practically an institution in the South. Many Southerners refer to it simply as “tea.” Ask around, and you’ll find that nearly everyone has a slightly different recipe, but the overall consensus is that the brew should be made with plain, black tea such as orange pekoe – never herbal or decaf blends.
Always start with a stronger brew than you would for hot tea, since you will be diluting it with cold water and ice. For a quart of tea, bring 2 cups freshly drawn, cold water to a rolling boil in a nonaluminum saucepan. Don’t use hot water or water that has been boiled and then cooled, because it will have lost a lot of its oxygen and may taste flat.
Immediately after the water boils, add three tea bags. Remove from heat, cover and steep about 5 minutes. Remove the bags, and sweeten with sugar to taste. Pour the tea into a pitcher, add 2 cups cold water (or less for a stronger brew), and serve over ice.
Iced tea often becomes cloudy when chilled. It helps to let tea cool before refrigerating. If tea does get cloudy, you can clear it up by adding a bit of boiling water.
I’ve been hearing a lot lately about whitewashing, on everything from furniture to fences. What is this, exactly, and how is it done?
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If you believe what Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer has to say on the matter, whitewashing is an exacting job that takes a gentle touch and an artist’s eye, a chore that only one boy in a thousand – possibly even as few as one boy in two thousand – can do well.
In truth, Tom’s assessment is not to be trusted. Whitewashing is technically no more difficult than any paint job. It consists of applying a white, opaque liquid made from milk, slaked lime, and cement or salt to a fence, wall, bureau or virtually any paintable surface. Whitewash was originally used out of necessity. Before synthetic materials were available, paint was too costly for the budgets of many farming and other working-class households, but the ingredients for whitewash were common and inexpensive, especially in rural areas. A coating of wash served practical purposes – it gave things a neat, clean appearance and protected the surface from decay. Periodically, as the wash wore away, new coats were applied to freshen the look and maintain the protective qualities.
Today, whitewash is valued primarily for the nicely weathered look it acquires over time. Traditional whitewashing at home, however, can be problematic. According to Thomas Eberharter, an associate style editor (and painting expert) at Martha Stewart Living, lime has caustic qualities. Mixing it with the other ingredients is labor-intensive and can result in severe burns if done improperly.
A better and safer choice is to mimic the look of whitewash using commonly available paints. Many paint-technique and decorating books provide detailed instructions for creating this effect. One good one is “Period Finishes and Effects: A Step-by-Step Guide to Decorating Techniques,” by Judith and Martin Miller (Rizzoli, 1992). Or check your local hardware or paint-supply store for whitewash-style paints sold by commercial paint companies: these are intended to re-create this old-fashioned look using safe, modern ingredients.
When my flower beds are in bloom, I like to give bouquets to friends, but I’m always using my own vases. Are there other suitable containers?
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Flowers from your garden are a perfect gift on their own, so you really don’t need a fancy container. Even a tin can without a label makes a charming vase (and the recipient can always transfer the flowers to something more formal). Save any vessels you commonly use at home, such as jars, and stock up on others at flea markets, junk shops and garage sales – where you’ll find lots of makeshift vases for a dollar or two. Look for pretty tumblers, carafes, teapots missing their lids, watering cans, beakers, measuring cups and, of course, vases. Even a bottle can hold a few stems, or one dramatic one, such as a sunflower. Short-stemmed blooms can fill a teacup. The more humble containers can be dressed up with a ribbon or bow.
If you cut the flowers immediately before giving them, you don’t even need a container. You can bind the stems with ribbon, or wrap a big bouquet in a cone of paper, as florists do, and tuck a little card in among the blooms.
Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail to mslletters@marthastewart.com.
2006 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
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