Homegrown Herbal Tea

[Phaedra]

Anybody ever dehydrate blackberries to make tea? I’ve got wild blackberries, called dewberries, everywhere.
They are green now but will ripen soon.

I didn't do this but planned to start it this year. I will have a lot of berries.

 

[baymule]

I will try some and report back here.

 

[Phaedra]

The first batch of chamomiles was transplanted today.

Meanwhile, I dug out some again from the garden and let them stay in the 5cm mini pots first. They will be the second batch.

 

[baymule]

I’m inspired by your planting for tea! No herb garden this year, but hopefully I can start preparing this fall. Fence clearing and fence building takes precedence over everything this year.

 

[digitS']

This is really a funny idea for a tea garden "container."

Planting a spring herb garden for homegrown herbal teas

A daily cup of homegrown tea is the perfect way to enjoy your garden's bounty all year long. Plus, planting a spring herb garden for herbal tea is fun!

savvygardening.com

 

[Phaedra]

This is really a funny idea for a tea garden "container."

Planting a spring herb garden for homegrown herbal teas

A daily cup of homegrown tea is the perfect way to enjoy your garden's bounty all year long. Plus, planting a spring herb garden for herbal tea is fun!

savvygardening.com

In fact, I plan the same for this year - for a container herb garden.

I just found the photo of the Tea MUMs I bought last November. They really looked sad when they arrived.

Now, besides the two mother plants, nearly 20 new plants are growing from cuttings.

The mother plants look like this today. I will pinch them again tomorrow, and then they will be ready to be transplanted into the containers.

I sowed some lavender and parsley today, too.

 

[digitS']

Phaedra, I count .

.. 8 out of the 20 "tea herbs" listed as having been in my 2022 garden. Some, mostly by happenstance.

However, I wouldn't use most of them brewed as a cup of tea. And, as I was disappointed to learn that the Mandarin orange peels aren't always tasty. Perhaps, I should do more experimenting with ginger. I have grown it - spending most of the season in the greenhouse. It's okay, maybe a little better than okay, as tea. I don't think that I ever tried it in a combination. Fennel seed is also a possibility and in a store-bought blend fits in with my taste for licorice.

 

[Alasgun]

And if you do like licorice the Anise Hyssop is a worthy consideration.

 

[Phaedra]

Phaedra, I count .

.. 8 out of the 20 "tea herbs" listed as having been in my 2022 garden. Some, mostly by happenstance.

However, I wouldn't use most of them brewed as a cup of tea. And, as I was disappointed to learn that the Mandarin orange peels aren't always tasty. Perhaps, I should do more experimenting with ginger. I have grown it - spending most of the season in the greenhouse. It's okay, maybe a little better than okay, as tea. I don't think that I ever tried it in a combination. Fennel seed is also a possibility and in a store-bought blend fits in with my taste for licorice.

Hi Steve, for ginger, we seldom directly use them for tea. Instead, I grind them finely and make a ginger syrup with other ingredients like dried jujubes, goji-berries, or dried longan (Dimocarpus longan). Then, it's very handy to create warm or cold drinks with the syrup. The quickest way is to add one or two spoons in a mug and mix with boiled water - I love it, especially in winter.

 

[Phaedra]

I brought some self-seeded and germinated chamomiles back to the greenhouse this morning and potted them on.

The second batch (about 20 young plants) of chamomiles is ready. I expect this second batch to flower about one month later than the already transplanted batch. Then, I should be able to harvest sufficient flowers for the entire year.