Fancy a cuppa?

[apple_pathways]

I harvested some of my herbs today to dry for tea. I picked three different varieties of thyme (lemon, orange, and common), several different mints (orange, spearmint, peppermint, etc--basically whatever was left), and some lemon verbena.

I brewed a test batch of the tea with the fresh herbs, and it was lovely: very subtle flavor, but very aromatic! The finished tea will also have dried lemon and orange peel, I think.

Comments

[copper-season.livejournal.com]

Oh! That sounds lovely!

*now wants herbs to make tea*

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

You could always buy a couple single-herb teas and experiment with your own blends.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Mmmh, amazing mix.

*makes a note to harvest some herbs herself*

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Ooh, what herbs do you like to grow for tea?

I was lazy this year and let the summer get away from me, so a lot of the herbs I wanted to harvest for tea are dead/done. I really wanted some lemon balm for this blend, but it's already finished flowering and turned brown.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

We've never grown herbs specifically for tea, it's usually your basic kitchen stock and then some - basil, Thai basil, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, spearmint, lemon balm, sage, dill, chervil, borage, ramsons, chives, parsley, lovage, savory, cress and purslane - without going outside to check, I think that is it. But you're definitely right, many of them need harvesting soon.

Lemon verbena I bought dried at a medieval market last year, unfortunately haven't found seeds for yet, but they are definitely on my to-get list for next year. ^^

As for teas, I love a blend of lemon thyme, lemon balm, (what a pity yours is gone, I'm sorry), sage and a small sprig of rosemary, it works great both for hot and cool weather. :) Borage flowers can also be brewed, and definitely have a mood-enhancing quality, though the taste takes some getting used to.

What other herbs are you growing?

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to try sage and rosemary in tea! I have tons of sage, and a good crop of rosemary.

As for annuals, I grow basil, parsley, cilantro, and dill; the dill and cilantro always bolt quickly in the hot weather, so I mostly grow them to harvest the seeds for cooking and buy the leaves.

Perennials I have: about 4 varieties of thyme, several sages (three decorative), several oreganos (again, a few mostly decorative), lemon grass, lemon verbena, lemon balm, winter and summer savory, tarragon, lavender, mints, and chives. I think that's it! Oh, I grow catnip for the cat--I've heard that it's good for tea, but that's pretty much done as well.

Must be more diligent next summer!

[http://users.livejournal.com/sulla_/]

looks yummy! Lemon and mint are a combination I like quite a bit.