Fresh Tea Herb Lemonade

From the garden

• 2 cups fresh tea herbs (lemon verbena, lemon balm, mint, or anise hyssop), leaves and tender tips, loosely packed, rinsed · one kind or a mix; a stevia leaf or two sweetens without adding flavor
• 6 medium lemons, juiced, about 1 cup
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced (optional) · for the pitcher

From the pantry

• ¾ cup sugar · or to taste
• 4 slices fresh ginger, thin coins (optional)

1. Bring 4 cups of water just to a boil in a saucepan, then take it off the heat. Bruise the herb leaves in your hands to release their oils and drop them in with the ginger, if using. Cover and steep 10–15 minutes; longer turns lemon balm and mint grassy, so taste at 10.
2. Strain the infusion through a fine sieve into a large pitcher, pressing the leaves gently. While it is still hot, stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and 4 cups of cold water. Taste and adjust: more lemon if it tastes flat, a spoon more sugar if it puckers. It should taste slightly too strong at this point, because the ice will dilute it.
4. Chill at least 1 hour. Serve over plenty of ice with the sliced strawberries in the pitcher and a fresh sprig on top of each glass.
5. Herb guide: lemon verbena and lemon balm give a clean lemony cup, mint and anise hyssop taste bright and cooling, and chamomile flowers (a half cup) make it soft and floral. Yaupon and wintergreen are strong; use a small handful, not two cups.