Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Making Tea
We’ve had an unusually mild fall season… so far. But this is Ohio, and sooner or later, we will be seeing snowflakes falling and hear the winter winds howling. Time for a warming cup of tea, a cozy throw and curling up with a good book. But first, consider using some of those herbs you’ve grown this past summer to make some herbal tea!
First, harvest your herbs. Aromatic oils are most concentrated when herb plants are in bud, so that’s the best time to harvest, but at the end of the season, you will be using the leaves. Using sharp scissors, remove no more than half of a single plant at a time. Leave at least two leaves per stalk so plants will have means to create the energy they need to regrow. They may put out new growth if this unseasonably warm weather persists. Or, you may want to plant some in small pots and try to overwinter them in the house.
Second, brew your teas. In “merry olde England,” a tea with one ingredient was called a “simple.” You may want to start by sampling some simples so you can become familiar with the flavors of the various herbs you’ve grown. Then you can experiment with creating herbal blends of those you like best.
Follow these steps for brewing tea:
• Chop fresh herbs or snip them with scissors to help release the essential oils. Crumble dried herbs gently, just so they’re big enough that they won’t slip through the strainer.
• Measure herb. One tablespoon of dried herb or three of fresh makes one eight-ounce cup of tea. If you’re brewing several cups at once, add an extra tablespoon “for the pot.” (You need more of a fresh herb than a dried one to make a flavorful tea because the flavor is more concentrated in a dried leaf. The compounds responsible for flavor – essential oils – are no longer diluted by water in the plant’s cells.)
• Pour boiling water over the herbs, cover, and let steep for one to three minutes, or more to taste. Unlike black and green teas, herb teas are naturally pale.
• If a fuller flavor is desired, add more tea, not more time, to the brewing process. (Extra time releases more tannic acid from plants, which can upset the stomach.)
• Taste your brewed tea before adding sweetener or milk. (Herbs grown indoors are likely to have lower concentrations of essential oils than those grown outdoors, so you may need to use a greater amount of indoor herbs to make a truly flavorful cup of tea.) It would be a good idea to record the amount of herb you use for each simple or herb combination so you know how much you need to repeat the tasty brews you prefer.
Try blending different herbs together. Here are some blending hints:
• Choose one flavor or family of flavors (e.g., lemon) as the dominant flavor.
• For accent, add small amounts of other herbs or other flavorings. Use about three parts of your dominant ingredient(s) to one part of accent items.
• Crumble dried leaves if necessary to mix evenly, but not enough to go through your strainer.
Drying Your Herbs
Now is the time to harvest and preserve some of the herbs you’ve grown. Important! Don’t pick herbs for tea on which chemical pesticides or insect repellents have been used. Be sure to prepare labels to attach to drying trays or bundles first — the leaves all look pretty much the same once they’re dry! Harvest leaves in late morning, after dew has evaporated from the leaves. Herbs picked while wet are more likely to form mold during the drying process. Inspect leaves and remove any insects or eggs you may find. Follow these tips for drying your herbs – here are two general drying methods:
• Tray drying: Trim leaves from the stems and spread them in a single layer on a tray or screen. Daily monitoring will tell you when you need to turn the leaves to ensure even drying. This method works best for plants with large, soft stems that hold a lot of moisture and slow the drying process.
• Hang to dry: Use rubber bands or twine to make loose bundles of several stalks. Suspend bundles from hooks, rods, or coat hangers. Dry herbs in an airy place out of direct sun and protected from insects. You’ll have best results if you check daily and remove any moldy leaves. The process is complete when leaves crumble easily when you crush them. Store in glass jars or plastic zip bags in a cupboard. Exposure to light diminishes flavor.
The Best Herbs for Making Herbal Tea: Lavender, Lemon Verbena, Mint, Lemon Balm, Ginger, Thyme, Chamomile, Jasmine, Stevia, Marjoram, Cilantro, Rosemary, Fennel, St. John’s Wort, Sage, Viola, Basil, Catnip, Lemon Grass, Pineapple Sage. Note that some of these require the use of flowers or the whole plant rather than just the leaves. For specific information and notes on the benefits each herb provides, check this website. If you find you really enjoy experimenting with making your own teas, check out this website for some suggestions on combining various herbs.
Now find a good book, a cozy throw and a comfortable chair to enjoy the cup of herbal tea you’ve brewed from your own herbs!
Article information source: Kids Gardening Project (Kidsgardening.org)
Photo courtesy pexels.com
