Mint tea and stevia

Hello my friends!  I hope all of you had a lovely Mother's Day.  Here it is the middle of May and already we are having hot sunny weather with temps in the 90's.  

Herbal mint iced tea is one of the drinks we like to drink all summer long.  I have mint growing wild along the back fence.  The more you cut it, the more it grows and spreads!  So if you want to control it, plant it in a pot.  

Simple recipe for mint tea:  boil water in a large pot.  Add about five or six stalks of mint.  Let it steep for a few minutes, then pour in a pitcher.  

This year at the garden center I found an herb called stevia.  I thought I would try it as a natural sweetner.  It works great!  Just add the leaves when you are making the tea, or add a few leaves to your glass.  

Since stevia is a perennial (in our zone) I may buy another plant and put it in a sunny spot in the garden.  

Enjoy your day!  

May baskets

Welcome May!  Do you remember May baskets?  

May Day, the first day of May, was celebrated by making up small baskets filled with flowers and then left at someone's door.  Have you ever done that?  
When I was young I took a piece of colored construction paper, made a cone, and filled it with flowers that I picked from my Mom's garden.  I left it on the door knob of a neighbor lady named Mrs. Bankus.  I knocked on her door and then ran home.  I remember her as the lady with the beautiful flower garden and sometimes I would sneak in her back garden and smell the flowers.   

We also celebrated May Day at school with a dance around the Maypole and crowning a May Queen from the May Court.  

all images from Google images

May is one of my favorite months, as it is the time when spring peaks and everywhere gardens are filled with color.  

Happy May!