In this article, I want to share with you my favorite fruit tea recipe. A Czech friend living in Lausanne introduced me to “baked fruit tea” when I visited her at Christmas. When I mentioned it to my Czech friends, all of them knew about it. It is trendy over there. And I am not surprised because it tastes, smells amazing, and warms you up. Which is all one needs in winter, isn’t it? So if you want to learn how to make the best zero-waste fruit tea at home, continue reading.
Easy Fruit Tea Recipe
Many recipes circulate online, but my favorite mix is two apples, two pears, two oranges, and two pairs. Add two lemons and a handful of dry sulfur-free raisins. I encourage you to use old overripe fruits that are not visually pleasing, and you’d not otherwise sign them off.
Wash all fruits and cut them into small pieces. I prefer to peel off the citruses as I did not like the taste of the skin when I finished the tea and ate the pieces of fruit left in the cup.
Place it in a baking dish. I use glass or a stone one. I noticed the taste is better when I close the dish while the tea is baking. But before you put it in the oven, add some cloves, badian, and cinnamon. You can use a dried cinnamon bark strip or the powder. How much? That depends on you – I love these spices and their smell so I add a lot.
According to my friend, you are supposed to add up to half-a-kilo of sugar, which is quite a lot for my taste. I add about 5 spoons of raw sugar which helps to give the tea a nice sweet and sour taste. When I added less sugar, the tea was too sour to drink. If you can’t eat raw sugar, try natural sugar alternatives such as Stevia. I have not tried Stevia because I don’t like the licorice after taste.
Bake it at 180 degrees Celcius for 40 minutes. Once it is soft and mushy, place it in a glass jar. Close it tightly, turn it upside down, and let it cool down.
To make a tea, add two teaspoons of tea to a teapot and add boiling water. Store the jar in a fridge.
Enjoy!
Where to buy raw sugar in bulk?
If you live in Geneva or canton Vaud, you can get a great raw sugar in bulk in Nature en Vrac (Place des Grottes 1, 1201) or Il Bio Locale in Rolle. Of course, there are other bulk stores in canton Vaud and Geneva, but as I go to these two. I feel comfortable recommending them. For a full list, check the website of Zero Waste Switzerland.
