Electric Roots: Rose City Cherry Bomb!

Electric Roots: Herbal Eating with Nicole (insta: @chefnige) Rose City Cherry Bomb! Cooler Hey folks! Summer is here and the sun is blazin’, and I couldn’t be happier about it! Maybe you’re like me and on those scorchin’ hot days, the last thing you want to do is turn on an oven or stand over a stove, so this month’s recipe is something we can all use: an ice cold frosty beverage. Who doesn’t love opening the fridge and seeing a huge jug of chilly sweet tea just waiting to be chugged? This summer cooler combines fresh cherries, cold brewed rose tea (use your petals from your yard if you got em!), fresh beet juice and a hint of mint. Pour it over a mound of ice and you’re set. When fresh, sweet cherries come back around, I know Summer has hit, and they are only a round for a little bit so I have been having fun using them in different ways. They add a bright little bit of sweetness that is subtle and not overwhelming. The beets give you some rich energy without the sugar spike, and they make any drink hot magenta so what’s not to love there? Ahh…and the rose. Cold brewed rose petal tea (dry or fresh petals) gives this drink a different kind of sweetness, one that only rose can add. A happiness, a romance, whimsy, something about that Rose that can lift you up and make you feel something even on the worst of days. (Much like Summer itself?). And finally, not forgotten is the mint, throw some mint in there for a little more zing, and your set. This recipe makes about 2 quarts of cooler, enough for a gathering or to have on hand in the fridge for a few sweltering days… Ingredients: 2 cups Cherries + a handful to muddle (pitted) 1 medium red beet 1 apple of choice 2 Limes or 2 small lemons 2 Tablespoons raw or local honey (sub agave for vegan) 1 ½ quarts rose tea (see below for instructions on how to brew. For a cold infusion, you will need to make the tea the night before. If you don’t mind the heat of the stove, you can brew the tea before you make the rest of the recipe, just allow it to cool before you add the other ingredients) Method: For the rose petal tea - 1oz (by weight) dry rose petals or rose buds (about one 1 ½ cups) ( double if using fresh) 1 ½ quarts water Cold Brew (Chill Zone Summer Method)- Place your rose petals or rose buds in the bottom of a 2 quart jar or pitcher. Pour in your water. Cover with lid. Pop in fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. After it has steeped, strain out rose. Regular Hot brew Tea- Bring 1 ½ quarts of water to a boil. Turn off heat. Place your rose petals or rose buds in the bottom of a 2 quart jar or heat safe pitcher. Pour in your hot water. Cover loosely with lid. Allow to cool steep 10-15 minutes. After it has steeped, strain out rose. Pop in fridge to allow to cool. For the fruit and beet: If you have a juicer: Cut your beet and apple into quarters, pit your cherries (cut them out with a small knife if you don’t have a pitter like me), and cut off the peel from the lemons or limes. Load all your stuff into your juicer except a handful of pitted cherries to muddle in glasses. Juice. Save pulp and throw into a smoothie later. Set your juice in the fridge (see below if you do not have access to a juicer) No juicer juicing method: Chop up your apple, discard the core. Dice your beets into small pieces, pit your cherries (cut them out with a small knife if you don’t have a pitter like me), and cut off the peel from the limes. Load all your stuff into your blender and blend. Strain juice out over a fine mesh strainer. (Save pulp and throw into a smoothie later. ) Once you have your juiced fruits/beet, add your honey to this and stir like crazy until the honey is dissolved. Add this sweet treat to your chilled rose tea, and give it a stir. Done! Add ice to your pitcher, another couple slices of lemon or lime and some sprigs of mint and set out. Or for individual drinks, fill each glass with crushed ice, some cherries and muddle. Add in your cooler, and garnish with a lemon or lime slice and a sprig of mint. Fun Stuff!: -Mix it up! Muddle in other berries or strawberries too! -Adult gathering? Shake up your cooler with a little vodka -Blend it up! Make a summer slushie by adding your cooler and a bunch of ice to the blender for a blended cooler! Stay cool Summer friends, and feel free to follow me on insta (@nigechef) and or dm me on instagram for any questions etc! Love, Nicole