Tea Herb Gardening

Tea Herb Gardening

The easiest way to enjoy the herbs you grow is by making a nice cup of tea out of them. Not only do you get the delicious taste of the herb, but also herbal teas offer many health benefits from stress relief all the way to fighting cancer. Research suggests that herbs like chamomile and lemon balm have countless benefits (And taste great too!).

Before we begin, a quick note on terminology. More traditional gardeners often point out that ‘tea’ is in fact made from the leaves (And occasionally the twigs and stems!) of the Tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Therefore the word ’tisane’ was coined to describe ‘teas’ that were not made from the Tea plant itself. In this article I will mostly be using the more commonly known ‘herbal tea.’

There are many different herbs that can be used to brew tea. Luckily most of these are very resilient and easy to grow herbs. Here are some of the many herbs that make great tea:

  • Anise/ Aniseed
  • Boldo
  • Catnip
  • Cerasse
  • Chamomile
  • Echinacea
  • Fennel
  • Lemon Balm
  • Garden Mint
  • Sage

Usually these are prepared by simply pouring boiling water on top of your cuttings and then drinking the result. Usually 1-3 tablespoons is plenty. You will need to add a lot more (Usually 3 tablespoons) if the herbs are fresh than if they have been dried. Various parts can be used for tea, with the leaves being the most common. For some plants there may be other parts that can be made into tea. The best thing about this is that it gives you a use for the parts that you can’t cook with. Here it is useful to do some research about your herb of choice, as some parts will be better than others!

Also some herbs taste okay on their own, but amazing when used to flavor other teas, so have some fun experimenting with different mixtures. Try also adding juices or honey to give it a little sweetness. This is especially important if you have many bitter herbs together, unless you want everyone to laugh at your pursed up face!

Because these herbs are being drunk, the best times to harvest your herbs are similar to how you would harvest culinary herbs:

  • It is best to harvest early while the day is still cool
  • Most herbs are at their most flavorful before they bloom
  • Harvest before the frosts come

So there you have it, yet another great benefit to growing herbs. So sit back and relax with a cup of tea as a reward after a tough days work. A delicious way to help improve your health.