by Arlene
You will be getting the idea by now that I make quite a lot of things. I also love a cup of tea. A strong cup of ‘builder’s tea’ with a bit of milk gets me up in the morning, and helps me stumble through my working day.
I have blogged before about the fact that I am in a Facebook group called Rate My Tea, where we do just that; take photos of our cups of tea, and post them on the page for others to like. Sounds dull and a bit mad? Well, maybe, but really it’s a communal acknowledgement that tea is the ultimate drink (here in Scotland anyway) that brings people together. It is a go-to drink when tired, thirsty, busy, hot, cold, sad, happy and everything else in between. It is what we make when we are under stress, or needing to offer comfort. We break for a quick cuppa with colleagues, and spend time drinking tea with family and friends. This year, more than any, the need for a cuppa with friends and family has been recognised, and there are lots of reminders to make sure we reach out to people over a cup of tea, even a socially distanced or virtual one.
I also love herbal tea, and this is where my gardening and my love of homemade food join together. I am lucky enough to have a garden which has enough space for a dedicated herb garden, and I grow enough of my own herbs to dry and make into tea. Most herbs can be picked straight from the garden and used fresh, and I have a tea pot with a removable infuser so I can remove the leaves when I have the strength I like.
Drying the herbs and leaves for future use is really easy as well. The trick is to be patient, since most herbs can’t tolerate being dried quickly or at high heat, so the best way to dry them is to let them naturally dehydrate in the warm air. Lots of people have a food dehydrator, but I use an adapted toy storage net, hung on the washing line, and then popped inside a warm shed overnight, and this works really well. You can dry them in the oven on a very low heat for a few hours, but I have always found this to need too much of my attention, and I’m basically lazy at heart.
The process is simple. Just select your herbs, wash and pat dry to remove any soil, discard any discoloured leaves, and then space them out to allow for plenty of air circulation. At this stage I dry the leaves whole, or in large pieces, and when they are dry I can crumble them into clean, dry glass jars. This way I have a supply of dried herbs for use all winter. Supplemented with bought herbs and spices, like hibiscus flowers, cinnamon bark, star anise and blue pea flowers, I enjoy some wonderful blends of my own teas.
Since I am a wild-friendly gardener, I actively encourage lots of plants that many people would consider weeds, but which I see as sources of food. Dandelion, nettle, cleavers and plantain are all picked and used, and I extend my growing every year as I discover more and more herbs and plants I can use. I particularly love dandelions, but that is a subject for a blog post all of its own!
This weekend, I made up a batch of tea to help me sleep during the full moon. Lots of people have trouble sleeping during the full moon – for lots of different reasons – and I was feeling especially unsettled since I had my cancer treatment a few days before, so my stomach was upset, and my liver was working hard. I needed something to settle my stomach, calm my digestion and help me feel more balanced.
This did the trick, and I slept well. You can make it up yourself, using bought herbs, your own herbs or a combination of both. With some added honey, it is a warming drink to have just before bed time. I have listed the ingredients from the largest amounts to the smallest, but the quantity will depend on how much you want to make, from one infuser, to enough for a few pots.
Full Moon Sleepy Tea
Green tea
Mint leaves
Nettle leaves
Dandelion leaves
Rosemary
Bay leaves
Cinnamon bark
Pine needles
Most of these ingredients are known for their cleansing, antioxidant, stomach and digestion calming properties, but if you know that you are sensitive to any of them, substitute it for something else, or leave it out altogether. This is your tea, so make it the way you like it!
Mainly Witterings 