Homegrown Herbal Tea

[Marie2020]

I want to build my own homegrown herbal tea collections this year. The targets are mints, roses (Rosa rugosa), common sage, lemon balm, and German chamomile.
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Therefore, I keep propagating mint and lemon balm from cuttings.
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The previous batch of mints and Taiwanese basil - they were all pinched for better side-shoot development.
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Mints rooted quickly and grew very well after transplanting into the soil.
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Do you also make your own herbal tea collection?
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I only have chocolate mint I've started to try and grow herbs in my kitchen window from seed but nothing has sprouted yet .
There's little flies going inside the home made grower. Would you know how can I stop them ? Do you think a little mint might help?

 

[Marie2020]

sometimes i use powdered ginger for tea. i know it isn't the same as fresh, but it's all that i've got at times.

Powder ginger in cake is awesome

 

[Marie2020]

Im surprised no one’s mentioned Rosemary? You’d normally think of it as a meat herb, or a key stuffing ingredient but it is an extraordinary tea as well, all by itself!
we grow and keep the same “staple’s” as most; Chocolate mint, Anise Hyssop, Stevia etc but the pot grown Rosemary we’ll move in the house and have fresh year round.

I have both rosemary and chocolate mint I have never thought of it being a tea

 

[digitS']

Garden soil, @Marie2020 .

About 50:50 mixed with home-made compost.

Ginger seems to like the easy life: Protection from the elements, plenty of nutrients and a steady supply of water.

 

[Phaedra]

I only have chocolate mint I've started to try and grow herbs in my kitchen window from seed but nothing has sprouted yet .
There's little flies going inside the home made grower. Would you know how can I stop them ? Do you think a little mint might help?

The soil might contain insect eggs. I will put those yellow stickers (for tiny flies) nearby to catch them. You might also try the homemade oil spray insecticide - as it (the emulsified liquid) can block their respiratory systems.

 

[Phaedra]

Yes I do!

We love cold herbal tea the best!
My favorite are mint, lemon balm, chamomile, raspberry leaves, roselle hibiscus, marigold, sage, and others I can't remember.

I am growing lots of Thai roselle this year. Not sure if you grow this. It has a tangy fruity taste and a beautiful red color. I will become a base for many of my other teas.

And lots of stevia to sweeten the tea!

Yes, I love roselle. In Taiwan, people make them into roselle syrup so they can be stored for a longer time. It can make a very refreshing drink in the high summer.

I also like to make roselle apple jam.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

If you already have a greenhouse and are working with citrus trees, if you find a Japanese market, try and get a Yuzu fruit and plant its seeds (or order a tree online, if I can do it here, you can probably do it through someone there.) When that get's a few years on it, since you are in Germany (which I think is a bit warmer that I am here in New York, you can actually plant it OUTSIDE, since it is good to about 15 below Celsius. This will also apply to a few other Japanese citruses, like Kabosu and Sudachi, as well as a few Chinese ones, like the Ichang.

Calamondin also covers a LOT of subtypes of little citruses, some of which are better than others for actual use as food (I tend to like the larger fruited kind with the slightly flattened fruits that look like tiny mandarin oranges, as opposed to the more common spherical to oblong fruited one. But that one IS a lot harder to find.)


My mint of choice is usually Egyptian Mint (Mentha niliacea) which tastes a little like Apple mint. I also sometimes use my pine rosemary (Rosmarius augustifolius).

I am also playing around with Ironwort a.k.a. shepherd's or mountain tea a popular herbal in Greece (though since those tend to be xeric you may be too wet for them).

There is always tulsi (holy basil) as well.

And there is white/green roselle as well, though how useful that is for tea I do not know (my seed seller in Ghana says it is useless for it, and is only grown for its leaves, but I don't know how accurate that is.)

 

[Dahlia]

I only have chocolate mint I've started to try and grow herbs in my kitchen window from seed but nothing has sprouted yet .
There's little flies going inside the home made grower. Would you know how can I stop them ? Do you think a little mint might help?

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Chocolate mint tea sounds amazing! Is that what u plan to make!?

 

[Phaedra]

Fresh herbs in glasses - immediately created a unique vibe.
I harvested Oregano, chamomile, and parsley.

They are herbs for cooking and drinking; in the meantime, they are also like cut flowers that can please the eyes and noses.

Have you ever used Oregano for tea? I read just an article about Oregano tea.

Roses I collected for tea are on the way, can't wait.

 

[Phaedra]

If you already have a greenhouse and are working with citrus trees, if you find a Japanese market, try and get a Yuzu fruit and plant its seeds (or order a tree online, if I can do it here, you can probably do it through someone there.) When that get's a few years on it, since you are in Germany (which I think is a bit warmer that I am here in New York, you can actually plant it OUTSIDE, since it is good to about 15 below Celsius. This will also apply to a few other Japanese citruses, like Kabosu and Sudachi, as well as a few Chinese ones, like the Ichang.

Yes, I do think about adding one or two Yuzu trees as they can be planted outside. Yuzu juice can make wonderful Ponzu sauce.

Two years ago, I planted Goji and Jujube as their fruits (especially dehydrated ones) are very widely used for culinary and making healthy drinks.

The Jujube tree looks quite happy this year. Maybe in another few years, I can harvest the fruits.