Tea Herb Garden – A Wonderful “Green Thumb” Project
A tea herb garden is a wonderful green thumb project for anyone who enjoys gardening. There are some teas intended for pure culinary enjoyment, and others that provide apothecary benefits as well. There are many teas steeped and used as herbal remedies and treatments.
Herbal tea can be made from leaves, stems, or seeds, and the herbs themselves can be fresh or dried. Herb varieties can be combined to create flavorful tea “blends.”
The general ratio of water to dried herb is one teaspoon of dried herb for each cup of water. If using fresh herbs, increase the amount of herb to one tablespoon per cup of water.
The standard and recommended way of making herb tea is to boil the water first, then place the herbs into the water. You can purchase paper tea bags if you wish to make your own tea bags. Another popular product for herb tea enthusiasts is a tea ball. You place the herbs inside and then place it in the hot water to steep.
One very tasty trick is to purchase an orange or lemon that has very bright and healthy skin. Using a cheese grater, “slice” off large chunks of zest and allow to dry. Store these in a plastic container or zippered plastic bag. When you make tea, toss in a chunk of rind. If your chunks are large enough, you can simply remove with a spoon or fork and enjoy the wonderful flavor the “zest” imparts.
A relaxing herbal tea can be made very easily using commonly grown herbs. This is a popular blend for many people. It helps relieve stress and keeps you fully focused. It includes chamomile, spearmint, rose petals, oat-straw, hibiscus, and orange zest.
You take the dried herbs and place them in an airtight jar. Mason jars are great for this. After shaking to blend, seal tightly, and store the mixture away from sunlight. The ratio of “mixture to water” for this particular herbal tea mixture is 1.5 teaspoons for each cup of boiled water.
Your herbal blend will require:
2-1/2 tablespoons chamomile flowers
1-1/2 tablespoons spearmint
2-1/2 tablespoons oat-straw
1-1/2 tablespoons rose petals
1-1/2 teaspoon hibiscus
2 chunks of orange zest (discussed previously)
Store this blend as recommended above, and you’ll enjoy it repeatedly.
Herbal tea recipes exist in abundance, and many, if not all, provide useful benefits. You might be amazed to discover that herbal tea blends are not confined to humans. Animals, including horses and dogs, benefit from herbal teas. Herbal treatments are used often for canine and equine cancer.
Cinnamon basil, lemon verbena, peppermint, and chamomile are just a few of the herbs that lend themselves to herbal tea blends. If herbal teas interest you, then you should do more research to find herbs you can grow, and use, to achieve desired results for you specifically. A tea herb garden is a fascinating endeavor that will allow you to explore the many facets of herbal teas, whether medicinal or otherwise.
Happy gardening!