CUISINE & CULTURE
An afternoon cup of tea after tending the garden is a reviver. Traditional, store-bought black tea ( Camellia sinensis) may be a bit robust for an afternoon pick-me-up but lighter herbal teas are delightfully refreshing. Especially when harvested from your own garden.
Easy garden herbs for teas:
· Peppermint ( Mentha piperita). Long-lived perennial that thrives in inhospitable conditions. Leaves are aromatic due to high concentrations of essential oils. Peppermint contains over 40 different compounds but it is menthol that gives peppermint its refreshing qualities (medicalnewstoday.com). Harvest leaves by cutting stems above ground level just before flowering begins. Tie several stems together, hang upside down until dry.
· Chamomile ( Matricaria recutita). Carefully harvest delicate, fern-like leaves and daisy-like, little flowers at peak bloom and place in paper sacks. Shake sacks daily to aerate leaves and flowers until fully dry.
· Lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis). As a member of the mint family, it is high in the essential oils citronella, geranial, eugenol among others (naturalhealthmessage. com). Lemon balm has many wellness properties: reported to have calming effects, aid sleep and relaxation, alleviate Alzheimer’s Disease, and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties (draxe.com). Harvest like other mints. Flavor is citrusy-lemony.
· Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare). Tiny yellow flowers fill umbrella-like flower heads that emerge from feathery green leaves. The sweet, licorice-like aroma and medicinal benefits are due to essential oils present in leaves and flowers. The main essential oils in fennel: anethole, antifungal and antioxidant activity; limonene, lemon-like flavor and aroma, anti-stress properties; fenchone, contributes the anise-like smell and taste of fennel, antimicrobial properties; estragole, confers the sweet, anise-like aroma, also has antimicrobial properties (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; caymanchem.com).
Brew loose leaves using a tea infuser, a small mesh or metal basket covered with holes small enough to keep leaves inside but allows water to flow into and out of the basket. A typical tea infuser has a delicate chain attached to the basket. A general rule of thumb is one teaspoon of leaves per cup.
Heat water to just below boiling and pour over the infuser; boiled water causes tea to taste flat. Steep for several minutes. Steeping tea with infusers avoids loose leaves from floating around the cup. Quality of the cup of tea brewed using infusers is higher than tea brewed from a bag.
Next week’s column will offer suggestions of xeriphytic plants for homemade herbal teas.
Some information from TeaTime Magazine Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
