No Waste Pineapple Skin Tea
This tropical, vitamin-rich pineapple skin tea is made from scraps you'd usually toss! Stay hydrated and save money while reducing waste, and make this iced (or hot!) tea part of your urban homesteading routine!
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 51kcal
Cost: $4
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple core and skin
- 2 lemon slices
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
- 1 piece candied papaya
- 1 Tbsp jasmine tea
- ½ cup pineapple weed (wild chamomile)
- 2 Tbsp dried calendula
- 4 sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh Indian mint
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup cane sugar
Instructions
- To a large pot, add pineapple core and skin, lemon slices, coconut flakes, candied papaya (cubed), jasmine tea, pineapple weed, calendula, sage, and mint. Cover with water.
- Stir and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain & serve hot or iced, or transfer to an airtight container and let it cool in the fridge for later. You can either sweeten the entire batch with 1/2 cup cane sugar, enjoy it unsweetened, or sweeten each individual serving to taste.
Notes
- Pineapples, unless they're organic, are often grown with pesticides, which the skin can sometimes retain traces of, along with dirt and bacteria. Always wash the skin with a vegetable brush and baking soda or vinegar solution before steeping.
- Bromelain is a heat-sensitive enzyme and will begin to denature (lose its enzymatic activity) at around 158°F and is mostly inactivated at 176°F and above. Boiling water is 212°F, so extended boiling will largely destroy bromelain. To retain as much of its nutritional value as possible, try to keep it at a simmer, not a boil.
- Make sure to put a lid on the pot before simmering so your tea doesn't evaporate!
- You can steep the pineapple skins from frozen if you don't plan to brew the tea right after enjoying the fruit.
- Depending on how you strain it, there may be a small amount of sediment that collects at the bottom. Totally fine to consume!
- Pineapple skin tea should be refrigerated in an airtight container and should be enjoyed within 3-5 days.
- Want to stretch your pineapple scraps even further? You can use them in a simmer pot for some all-natural aromatherapy, then add them to an indoor compost bin.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.5g | Sugar: 12.5g