How to Grow Your Own Herbal Tea.
Herbal tea has been used for centuries as a remedy for various ailments and has become increasingly popular in the modern era. Sure, you can buy a huge range of various herbal teas from your local supermarket or specialist tea retailer, but you can feel a sense of achievement and know exactly where your ingredients come from if you grow your own herbs. Your cup of herbal tea will be even more enjoyable and relaxing knowing you grew your own!
Grow Your Own:
Herbs are easy to grow and need relatively little attention. Also, you can use nearly any container to grow herbs in, old coffee tins, mugs or other items you want to re-use. Just make sure you either put stones in the bottom of your container or make drainage holes. Once you have sown your herbs put them on a sunny window sill and water on a regular basis.
Once your herbs are ready to harvest they simple need to be dried. To do this put the herbs in a dry place out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will diminish their colour, fragrance and flavour. Your herbs should be dry in approximately one week depending on which herbs you are using.
Benefits:
Each herbal tea plant has known benefits and short-term cures. Chamomile helps you during restless nights, peppermint relieves bloating, ginger curbs nausea, and lemon balm helps when stress is out of control.
Varieties:
Peppermint
Lavender
Chamomile
Sage
Thyme
Parsley
Elder
Lemon Balm.
Harvesting Herbs:
Each herb has a specific harvesting process to get the result you want and to maximize the flavour profile. The key to keeping your herbs at their best is to harvest your garden frequently.
Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most popular and easiest herbs to grow for a great cup of tea. The perfect time to harvest this hardy plant is in the early morning after dew has dried. Carefully pinch bloomed flower heads off the chamomile plant. The full flower will be what gives your tea flavour!
Elder
The elder is the easiest of all to harvest. No cutting needed. Simply shake the plant so the buds fall into a bowl. Wash and let dry!
Lavender
Lavender is your go-to herb for sweet, relaxing aromas. When the lavender flowers bloom, it's time to harvest. Cut the lavender stems 2 inches above the woody growth, starting with the first blooming buds for the best results.
Thyme
This herb is laid-back and as low-maintenance as they come. For potent flavour, pick in the morning. Just like sage, you can either prune the whole stem or pinch off leaves at the stem.
Lemon Balm
Harvest in late spring or early summer, right before the blossoms set. Cut the stems about 2 inches from the ground. Make sure not to cut off too much. Cut stems above where lower leaves have formed—we don't want to cut off the entire plant's supply. Looking for just a little lemon flavour in your tea? Cut right below a leaf.
Peppermint
Refresh your senses with some peppermint in your tea. Before the plant starts to flower, cut off the stems about 1 inch from the ground. If you only need a little flavour in your cup, pinch off a peppermint leaf or two, making the cut right before another leaf.
Sage
Every two months or so, sage is ready for some harvesting. Sage grows fairly vigorously, so you'll have no problem getting your fill of this herb throughout the season. Clip leaves six to eight inches from the top of the plant. Doing so stimulates new growth. You can cut the entire stem or pinch off the leaves—whatever your herbal heart desires!
Parsley
One of the most well-known herbs, parsley is a great choice for your herbal tea. Although a little more complicated to pick, it will provide a kick of flavour to your cup of tea. For the most flavour, cut parsley when the stems have at least three segments of leaves.
Brewing Your Tea:
Once you have dried your herbs you are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labour! You can put your herbs in a tea pot and then use a tea strainer or use a tea diffuser to make one cup at a time. The quantity of herbs you use is a personal preference depending on how strong you want your tea. But let your herbs seep for about 3 to 5 minutes to allow the flavours to diffuse.
Your relaxing cup of herbal tea is even more enjoyable knowing you grew your own.