Herbal Teas on the Cheap: Part 16 - Spice It Up!

We use spices all the time in our kitchens to enhance the flavor of our dishes. Why would we think that it is unusual to spice up our teas as well? Let's try some experiments with our blends.

Everyone has heard of Chai tea, but what is it really? Chai is Hindi for "tea" and usually refers to black tea spiced with cloves, cinnamon, anise, ginger, cardamom and black pepper. It is usually served with milk and a sweetener. Hmmm, spiced tea isn't so outrageous an idea after all.

Most spices grow in remote locations and are imported. These are not typically going to be grown in your backyard, but there are a few that are rather easy to grow. Let's concentrate on those. For the rest, try purchasing from a reliable source. I personally like Monterey Bay Spice Company out of California.

You all know by now that I live in zone 5a, so let's look at the spices and herbs that I can grow here. Mint springs to mind and there are lots of different types of mint plants. I am growing spearmint, applemint, grapefruit mint, Mojito mint, chocolate mint and peppermint. Of these, the peppermint keeps its mint flavor best when dried. Mint is easy to grow and you can harvest you mint continuously as it will spring back up after you trim it back. Be careful though, as mint tends to spread aggressively. You should probably grow it in pots.

Fennel is another herb that is easy to grow as well as feverfew, verbena, lemon balm and rosemary, just to name a few. Note that some of these plants will not last the Winter here. If you want to continue growing the same rosemary plant, you will need to Winter it over in your cellar as it cannot stand the cold.

Check with your local nursery for herbs that you can grow locally. Usually, if it is available for purchase in your area, then you can grow it. When in doubt, ask someone at the nursery for special care instructions.

Herbal Teas on the Cheap: Part 7 - Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is associated with Mediterranean cooking. It is a beautiful ornamental plant as well as a delicious culinary herb. It is difficult to start from seeds, so you are better off getting a nursery plant. Seeds do not always grow true to the parent.

To propagate a new plant:

1. Cut about a 2" section from the soft, new growth of an established plant.
2. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the cutting and dip the tip into a rooting hormone.
3. Place the dipped end into a container of damp potting soil mix, something containing peat moss with vermiculite or perlite.
4. Place the container in a warm spot with out of direct sunlight.
5. Mist the cuttings daily and water periodically to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
6. In about 2 or 3 weeks, your cuttings should have rooted.
7. Transplant into individual pots about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, and pinch off the very top of the cutting to encourage it to develop branches.

Where the winter temperatures drop below 30 degrees F., rosemary plants will have to spend the winter indoors. In this case, it's easier to grow your rosemary in a container all year. Since rosemary likes it on the dry side, terra cotta pots are an especially good choice. Just be sure it doesn't bake and completely dry out while outdoors during the summer. It can be a little trickier to keep rosemary happy inside. Your rosemary plant will still require 6-8 hours of full sun, so artificial lights may be necessary. Heat is not as crucial as sunlight.

Money Saving Tip: Willow Water is a natural rooting hormone. You can make your own is you have access to a Willow tree. Take a few cuttings of branches with plenty of green leaves on them. Remove the leaves and chop them up finely as you would a culinary herb. you may include some of the soft branch in it as well. You should have 2 cups of well chopped willow material. Put it in a large non-reactive container, such as a stoneware bowl. Cover with 1 gallon of boiling water and let it steep overnight, up to 24 hours. If you can't boil water, room temperature water will do, but let it steep for a full 24 hours.

Pests and Problems of Rosemary Plants
Rosemary, when grown indoors, tends to get powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a white, powdery fungus that can develop if the surrounding air is humid and there is not enough air movement. It won't kill your rosemary, but it will weaken the plant.

Keep the humidity low, keep the plant in sunlight and, if necessary, run a fan for a few hours a day to create a breeze in order to help prevent powdery mildew development.

Also watch for aphids and spider mites. These pests seem to live on houseplants for the winter. Catching them before a total infestation will make them easier to control. Repeated spraying with insecticidal soap should take care of the problem.

Maintaining a Potted Rosemary
Move your potted rosemary back outdoors once all danger of frost has passed. As with most potted plants, the soil in your rosemary pot will degenerate through watering and root growth. Repot at least once a year. Spring is a good time to repot your rosemary, but it should be fine no matter what time of year you get to it.

When the rosemary plant puts out considerable growth or looks like it just can't get enough water, it has outgrown its pot and needs to be transplanted into a larger one. If you want to maintain the size of your rosemary plant, root prune it by slicing off a couple of inches of the roots from the bottom and sides of the root ball and replanting in the same pot. Be sure to trim some of the top at the same time, to lessen the work load of the roots and the stress placed upon the trimmed plant. Then allow your repotted plant some time to regroup. It should reward you with many more seasons of snippings.

Harvesting, Drying and Storing

Both the leaves and the flowers are edible. Simply snip off pieces of the stem as you need it. Use fresh, finely chopped, or dehydrate and store in an airtight container for future use.

Herbal Teas on the Cheap: Part 2 - Found Recipes

Searching the Internet, I found some recipes for herbal tea blends at Straight From the Farm :



We will look at each ingredient is more depth in following posts, and perhaps come up with some blends of our own.

HERBAL TEA RECIPES
Created by Straight from the Farm

Floral Fantasy Tea
3 parts Lavender
3 parts Yarrow
1 part Chamomile
1 part Stevia


Spiced Anise Tea
4 parts Anise Hyssop
1 part Cinnamon
1 part Vanilla Bean
1 part Cloves


Devoted Remembrance Tea
3 parts Rosemary
3 parts Lavender
3 parts Marjoram
2 parts Anise Hyssop


Dark Rose Tea
2 parts Rose Hips
3 parts Anise Hyssop
3 parts Yarrow
1 part Bergamot


Aromatic Mint Tea
2 parts Spearmint
1 part Marjoram
1 part Sweet Woodruff
1 part Sage

Good Start Tea
2 parts Yarrow
2 parts Rose Hips
2 parts Lavender
1 part Marjoram
1 part Stevia


Chocolate Mint Tea
4 parts Chocolate Mint
3 parts Lavender
2 parts Sweet Woodruff
1 part Stevia
1 part Rose Hips


Black Licorice Tea
2 parts Anise Hyssop
2 parts Bergamot
2 parts Marjoram
2 parts Spearmint


Everything & More Tea
1 part Lavender
1 part Yarrow
1 part Anise Hyssop
1 part Stevia
1 part Spearmint
1 part Bergamot
1 part Rose Hips
1 part Calendula

Love Charm Tea
3 parts Yarrow
1 part Lavender
1 part Anise Hyssop
1 part Spearmint