Do you ever make a drink from ingredients from your garden? Hivegarden QOTW
As a member of the #hivegarden community I've been mentioned a few times in a new initiative by @gardenhive; The question of the week!
Until now I didn't make time to join this initiative, but the question of this week: Do you ever make a drink from ingredients from your garden? .
This question really spoke to me, so I decided to respond with a blog.
Homegrown tea herbs
Although I am a coffee lover I can appreciate a cup of tea every now and then. Just recently I read an alarming article that claimed that certain tea bags can release significant amounts of micro- and nanoplastics into your tea. Wait, what!? Can't we trust anything anymore?
Although we still do use teabags, we also make tea from fresh herbs. You can buy some mint in a sealed plastic bag in the supermarket, but you can also buy a mint plant in a pot.
They are more expensive, but you can get more tea from them.
A while ago I decided to move the plant from the container into the backyard. This gave it the opportunity to grow even more. And mint is a tough plant that survives winter, so it grows back every year.
Different species
Last year I expanded the assortment of mint plants. I used to have 'regular' mint, but received a cutting of the Maroccan mint plant from my sister. Compared to the 'regular' mint the Maroccan mint is a bit more spicy. I personally prefer this in my tea.
When I visited a garden center last year I spotted another type of mint; Chocolate mint. I was really surprised they had this flavour. I really like chocolate, so I decided to buy it.
They say it has a chocolaty twist, but I don't really taste it. It is nice and sweet though.
I just had a small plant last year, but as you can see in the image below, the mint is spreading like crazy. It's almost like weeds.
Prevent spreading
And the spreading which I mentioned above can also be a problem. There is only a certain amount of tea we drink, so I don't want the mint to take over my garden.
But I recently read a good tip somewhere to prevent this from happening. You can put the mint in a container into the soil. This keeps the munt grouped together. Although it's better to use a earthenware or terracotta pot (for drainage) I used a plastic container instead. I might replant them when I find a better container.
Lemon balm
Another tea that we frequently make is lemon balm tea. Lemon balm tea has a lot of health benefits.
It contains antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, it can help with digestive issues and it is known for its ability to help reduce stress and anxiety.
And besides the health benefits it also has a very nice and sweet taste.
I had bought a lemon balm plant last year which was completely gone in winter, so I decided to buy a new one when I recently visited a garden center.
But funny enough, when I was removing some weeds recently I discovered a tiny stump with a few tiny leaves on it. I didn't recognize it immediately, but when I rubbed the leaves with my fingers and smelled it, I immediately recognized it as my lemon balm. So no I have two!
Making tea
And making tea is so simple! You just cut some leaves, wash them off a bit and then put them in a teapot with boiling water for a couple of minutes. Simple as that!
Tasteful and healthy!
Do you also make your own tea?
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I also like coffee, maybe too much.
But I like to drink good tea or juice from all the plants from my garden.
Yes, I also heard about nano plastic from tea bags.
They say that plastic is everywhere, unfortunately.
That's why we try as a family to produce as much healthy food as possible.
Although plastic can also help us, To prevent the plant from freezing.
A 5-6 liter water bottle, cut off the top and place it on the plant on the side, add a little soil so that the wind doesn't blow it away.
Tested on strawberries at my place, like a mini greenhouse.
When the frost season is over, just remove the bottle.
There is a different between microplastics that are inside food and hard plastics you use to protect your crops. That is even a form of recycling.
What you refer to as Lemon Balm is actually a Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora).
Lemon Balm is melissa officinalis. see image below.
and I do not buy any tea bags for various reasons.
first I do not trust anything stated on packaging anymore. one has no guarantee plants were not sprayed with pesticides. then there is also the microplastic issue.
besides that, there is nothing like the freshness of picking the leaves just before brewing a tea.
I have both the Morrocan Mint (love it for its perfume) and the Chocolate Mint.
Mint plants are very indicated medically against Lime disease 🌱
Oh, thanks for the clarification.
This exactly!
Lemon balm is a lovely one, it's a great stress reliever. I think of it as a moon plant as it's so 'yin' and gentle. It's also good for herpes.
My son always makes pot tea for that reason, but married to an Englishmen means it's teabags all the way because when he needs tea, on the hour, he needs it fast 😂
Good tip about the mint! But won't the roots go into the soil via the holes at the bottom? I tend to rip as much as I can out when I walk past to keep it under control a bit.but then I do have a lot of garden!
Great response, thanks for joining in. X
Haha. British tea time 😃
Freah herbs have many health benefits. I didn't know they used it in medicines too.
Well done!!! Nice drink !!!
It is grweat taht you have some herbal teas in your garden. I have not tried the chocolate mint - I love chocolate and mint but can imagine that the berb does not really taste chocolatey. I love mint and drink a lot of it. I also love that the plant is so hardy and come back after winter.
I really need to blog about my small garden. 😀
I’ve never thought about growing my own tea herbs, but now I’m kinda inspired to try mint or lemon balm.
Cool! It are easy herbs to grow.