Hyssop

This week's family share included some sprigs of hyssop, a potent herb belonging to the mint family that has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes since the time of the Greeks and Romans. In today's world, though, it's unlikely that you'll find fresh hyssop at your local market, since it's not a common ingredient for modern cooks. I experimented with my bunch of hyssop today by making an herb-infused simple syrup with the leaves, flowers, and stalks. Then, I combined my hyssop syrup with freshly squeezed lemon juice to form the base of a refreshing iced tea.

Lemon Hyssop Iced Tea

- 8 cups of boiling water

- Two to four bags of black tea

- Juice of three lemons

- 1 cup of hyssop-infused simple syrup (see last week's post)

Combine the lemon juice and hyssop syrup in a small bowl, and set aside. In a large, heat-proof pitcher, steep the bags of tea in hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove tea bags from pitcher, and allow tea to cool to room temperature. Once cool, add lemon-hyssop mixture to taste. Serve in chilled glasses with ice.