Tips for Making Fresh Herbal Tea:
To brew either iced or hot tea, pick fresh leaves and flowers early in the day; essential oils are not lost as readily if herbs are picked in the morning. Never use leaves or flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides.
- Pick leaves frugally from young start-up plants.
- Bruise leaves to release their essential oils. (Rubbing the leaves together does this.)
- Add about 3 tablespoons of fresh leaves and/or flowers to your warm 4-cup teapot and then add hot water.
- Water temperature should be just below boiling.
- Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
Tips for Harvesting Herbs for Later Use:
- To avoid losing essential oils in the leaves, pick fresh leaves and flowers on a dry day before noontime when the sun is least intense.
- Hang in bunches, with blossom ends down, to dry in a dark, dry, well-ventilated space.
- When herbs feel crisp to the touch, strip leaves and flowers from stems.
- Fill glass jars with dried herbs. Label and store in a cool, dry cupboard.
- When using dried herbs, reduce the quantity of herbs by one-half to three-quarters of the amount of fresh herbs you would use.
Web Extras, TeaTime March/April 2015
I really enjoy tea. Someday I expect to enjoy a tea party with friends.
Hopefully soon. I’m not getting any younger. I save all my teatime magazines and put them around the house so visitors can enjoy also. Thank you for the beautiful, informative and enjoyable magazine.