Sweet Sweet Tea

This week we apparently celebrated National Iced Tea Day and National Seersucker Day. It seems we're on a roll with the fun southern holidays. I'm guessing National Fried Chicken Day isn't too far off.

If there's one thing I love, it's sweet tea. I've been known to sit on the porch and drink a whole gallon throughout a weekend. Whether you dress it up with a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon, or a splash of bourbon—it's delicious all day long.

True sweet tea is made with tea, sugar, and water. Don't let anyone tell you to add baking soda; that is a myth that is pointless and silly. If you want to brew your batch with local tea, use Charleston Tea Planation American Classic Tea from Wadmalaw Island. It's simply the best.

Mint and Kumquat-Infused Vodka

A friend and I picked some of the cutest kumquats on the way home from work tonight. Kumquats are small citrus fruits that you can find growing in fancy gardens around downtown Charleston. These little fruits are sometimes bitter, with the skin being the sweetest part. I brought them home to infuse in vodka with some mint growing in my own, not-so-fancy garden.

I don't have many uses for kumquats, but I thought this was a pretty good idea. The process is very easy: Wash the fruit and slice in half. Prepare the mint by rinsing, stemming and chopping the leaves. Place both ingredients in a jar and pour vodka over them. Cover the jars with a lid and place in a cool, dark place for 3 days. The vodka in this recipe could easily be replaced with gin. 

Mint and Kumquat-Infused Vodka

My jars are in the fridge and are going to be hard to resist!  I can now say that I foraged the makings for a drink in downtown Charleston. We talked about mixing this with soda water, but I'm starting to think sweet tea might make a good match. How would you drink this concoction?

Porching

This past week we took a little vacation where we spent a lot of time on the front porch. Whether we were sitting in rocking chairs, the hammock, or the porch swing it was a great way to pass the day. We listened to good music, smelled the salt air and confederate jasmine, and grilled every afternoon. It got me thinking, why don't we have a better porch setup at our home? As I write this post, I'm sitting on the porch at home listening to my neighbor pickin' his guitar, while children are playing in the background.* Sounds like the perfect spot for a fancy porch swing, right? 

1. Whimsical Gardener Swing 2. Palmetto Bluff Swing 3. Better Homes & Gardens Swing

4. Lowe's Creative Ideas Porch Swing 5. Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Swing

I pulled together a some photos of porch swings to get new ideas for my outdoor living room. The Palmetto Bluff Swing, pictured here, is my favorite set-up. I love the natural look of the dark green wood. I would pair my swing with dark green rocking chairs, chocolate brown ticking stripe pillows, and bamboo shades like the Whimsical Gardener photo. That sounds like a good start!

My porch drink

Obviously, an important element to porching is having a good drink to sip on. Today I'm sipping sweet tea with mint, but I just came across a drink called Porch Swing Punch and had to share it. What are your must-have elements for a good day on the porch?

Porch Swing Punch

*My neighborhood is not always this lovely. He's actually a middle-aged guy who built a half-pipe in his back yard.

Friday Flowers

My aunts and grandmother gathered aqua mason jars from antique shops for over a year for my wedding. They found these gems in little places from South Georgia to the North Carolina mountains. We ended up using them for my rehearsal dinner and I wouldn't have it any other way. My sister and I went to the farmers market and bought $30 worth of flowers and put them together. We added mint in the arrangement for some greenery and it smelled amazing. As much as I love mint, I never thought to put it in a flower arrangement. We had 10 arrangements of different sizes and it was so affordable.

Last night I got a couple zinnias from Thackeray Farms. With so many left over mason jars I decided to recreate the arrangement. I am afraid to prune my mint back too much, otherwise I would have added some. These simple little flowers will add a ray of sunshine to the weekend. What is your favorite flower?

Porch Parties

Inspired by the book Porch Parites I made a Spiked Arnold Palmer when I came home tonight. The recipe is hard to screw up, with equal parts sweet tea vodka and lemonade. It feels like home when you add a sprig of mint from your garden for garnish. What makes this the perfect southern summertime cocktail: the sweet tea, the lemonade or the mint?