Sassafras roots
2 quarts water
sugar to taste

Place a handful of clean sassafras roots into a 2 quart pan of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until water turns dark red. Strain and add sugar to taste. Serve hot in a mug.

Sassafras has a unique smell, like root beer. The leaves on a sassafras tree are a lighter green in the early fall and turn red as the sap goes down. Sassafras leaves are mitten shaped. You can tell if it's sassafras by breaking off a small twig of the tree and sniffing it. If it smells like rootbeer and has the mitten shape, it's probably sassafras. Word of caution, take a leaf in to your computer and compare it to an online picture. If you aren't sure, don't make and drink tea with it. Ask your country extension or one of the local old-timers to identify the plant. Once you know what it looks like, tag the tree and enjoy some good old sassafras tea, hot or cold.