Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Herbal tea in my backyard?

I recently purchased a flat of plants from a garden center that were packaged together as a %26#039;tea blend%26#039;. It contained chamomile, lemon balm, and orange mint. I put them into a nice planter (i container garden) and they are all doing very well. (i also have some other mints and catnip that i could add to the tea mix)





I do drink a lot of tea, but i%26#039;ve never brewed herbal tea from actual herbs. My tea experience began with lipton tea bags and has only grown to loose earl grey in a stainless tea brewer.





So what do i do next? Do i dry it? Can i brew it straight out of the garden?





And i read somewhere (i think) that the chamomile needs to bloom and i use the flowers?

Herbal tea in my backyard?
Yes you can use them dry or fresh out of the garden.


But if you use them fresh they will have a much stronger flavor and aroma.


Eaither way when your ready to use them just get yourself some cheese cloth from you grocer, these would be located in the canning section of the store.


Lay one cheese cloth out flat then, place what herb teas you want at that time, wrap them up tight and tie it off at the top.


And now you have an instent tea bag.


As for the Camlile tea, yes you do use the flowers for the tea, there some other wild indian plants and flowers out there that you can also use, that are accualy pretty good and are good for your health.


So heres to drinking to your heath!!!!!!!!
Reply:I also brew tea from my garden; lemon verbana, mint, orange mint. I have been unsuccessful at drying AND retaining flavor. But I do love to steep it from fresh leaves. I have read that the best chamomille is from Germany and there are two species of chamomile. Good Luck!
Reply:To make beverage teas:


1. Boil water in a non-reactive pot (glass, stainless steel, cast iron, or enamel-do NOT use copper or aluminum because harmful metals from these materials can contaminate water). Remove from burner.


2. Use 1 teaspoon of fresh herb to 1 cup of water, cover, and steep for at least 20 minutes, overnight if possible.


3. Strain before drinking.





As is true for all herbs, fresh is best. Dried or frozen are good alternatives. Herbs can also be stored in oil or vinegar. The following syrup is another convenient way to preserve mint: Simmer 4 cups of mint for 30 minutes in just enough water to cover. Strain. For each cup of liquid add a cup of sugar, and simmer for 15 minutes. Bottle, label, and date. This may also be frozen in convenient portions.





As an aside tea itself all tea derives from 2 strains of the same plant, a member of the Camellia family — the cool weather Camellia sinensis, and the tropical region Camellia assamica. How the tea is picked, and processed after harvest produces black tea, green tea, white tea, and Oolong. http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/teaplanan...


if you want to go in that direction, you can purchase plants here:


http://www.greenteaplants.com/



world history

No comments:

Post a Comment