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Follow one of the recipes above, or just choose your favorite fruit. You can play around with the amounts, but start with several small fruits per quart (liter), or 12 cups (240480mL) berries or cubed fruit. Fresh fruit in season has the best flavor. Frozen fruit won't look as attractive, but may have more flavor than out-of-season fresh fruit. Rub all fresh fruit thoroughly under cool, running water. Since the peel will be sitting in the water, scrubbing contaminants off the surface is extra important. If the fruit is not organic, consider peeling it to remove pesticides on the surface. This is not necessary for frozen fruit. Round will infuse more quickly on their own, if they are weighed down underneath ice cubes. Wedges may not add much flavor unless you muddle the fruit as described below. Slice rounds in half for a narrow pitcher. No slicing is necessary for berries or cubed fruit. Drop your fruit into a pitcher of chilled or room temperature water. If you dislike the taste of your tap water, put it through a filtration device before adding fruit. Hot water will infuse with flavor more quickly, but turns the fruit into mush and may destroy some nutrients. . Crushing the fruit will speed up the infusion significantly, but you may end up with a murky, pulpy mixture. For a more attractive pitcher, squeeze some of the juice out using a wooden spoon handle, pressing and twisting but not pulverizing the fruit completely. Leave the fruit untouched if you can wait a few hours. Alternatively, leave whole slices in for decoration, but squeeze in the juice of one fruit to add more flavor. To flavor a single glass of water for immediate drinking, pulverize the fruit with a muddling stick. Mint and basil are the most common options, but you can use rosemary, sage, or just about any other herb. Rinse the leaves, then rub them between clean hands to bruise them slightly before adding to the water. You can add dried herbs, but place them in a tea strainer so they don't leave fragments in the drink. Besides chilling the water, ice weighs down fruit that floats to the top, and filters out some of the fruit pieces while pouring. Chill the water in the refrigerator for 34 hours, or up to 12 hours for extra-potent flavor. To avoid bacteria and unpleasant flavors, strain out ingredients after 12 hours and drink within three days. Stir before serving. The water will infuse faster at room temperature, but also decompose faster. Steep for 12 hours, and drink within 45 hours of mixing.
Select your fruit. Wash fruit thoroughly. Slice into wedges or rounds. Add to cold water. Muddle gently (optional) Add a handful of herbs (optional). Add ice (optional). Wait for infusion.