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Bzzzz May 23rd, 2008

Have you noticed that there is someone who will take the fun out of just about everything?

Mexican food. Chinese food. Movie popcorn. Now a cool pitcher of sun tea will make you sick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Alcaligenes viscolactis, a bacteria commonly found in water, can flourish during the slow steep of sun tea. And it can make you sick.

Who knew something as simple as sun tea could be so dangerous?

I sip tea all day long during the summer. Currently, my favorite concoction is a mixture of green and chai spice teas. And since I’m just a risk-taking, adventurous kind of gal, I have decided that I will continue drinking my sun tea. After all, I’ve made it this far without getting ill. Let’s just see what happens.

For the rest of you, you might want to follow some safety precautions. These include:

-Scrub your sun tea container with hot soapy water. (Frankly, I assume everyone does this anyway.)

-Don’t leave the sun tea to brew for more than three or four hours. (Being the crazy kinda gal that I am, I will continue to brew mine for six to eight hours.)

-Refrigerate and drink as soon as possible. (No problem there.)

-Don’t prepare more than you can drink in a day. Throw out the leftovers. (None left anyway.)

And on one website, they advise you to throw away tea that has turned thick and syrupy or that has ropy strands, which are bacteria. Whaaaaaa? Who would drink that anyway?

So there you have it. Go forth and be safe. As for me, I will continue to live life on the edge with a cold glass of sun tea in my hand.

Posted In: Food and Recipes