Summer Daze Tea - Tea Blend of the Month

Spearmint for cooling, flowers for summer brightness and a few immunity boosters so you stay healthy to enjoy the fun make this a tasty summer tea.

• 1 tsp spearmint
• 1 tsp dried lemongrass
• ½ tsp each elderflowers
• ½ tsp rose petals
• ½ tsp chamomile
• ½ tsp blackberry leaf
• Pinch of orange peel  (or purchase our ready-made tea blend!)

Mix ingredients together well and store in a tightly sealed jar

To Use: Bring cool water to a boil.  Place 1 tsp of the tea blend in a tea infuser, pour 1 cup of boiling water over and allow to steep for 5 – 6 minutes, preferably in a covered container.  For iced tea, allow to steep up to 12 minutes, then allow to cool to room temperature and add ice and add a squeeze of lemon if desired.

Seven Herbal Gift Ideas for Mom - to make and buy

There are many gift ideas for Mom that incorporate herbs. Here are a few perfect examples, several of which you can make yourself:

1. Herbal Tea Set: Give your mom a collection of her favorite herbal teas, along with a beautiful teapot and a set of tea cups. This gift is perfect for mothers who love to relax with a cup of tea after a long day. Teapot Gifts and Tea Gifts.

2. Herbal Bath Salts: Herbal bath salts are a great way to provide relaxation and rejuvenation. You can make your own bath salts using dried herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile, or you can purchase pre-made herbal bath salts.

We shared this recipe on the blog back in May 2023, but here is a quick blend of salts to pamper skin.

Pampering Bath Salts

• 1 1/2 cups Epsom salts
•  3/4 cup baking soda
• 3/4 cup herbs (finely ground)

Combine everything in a jar and shake well.  Add 2 to 4 Tablespoons directly to the bath or place in a mesh or organza bag and swish to dissolve the salts.

3. Herbal Soaps: Another great gift for mom is herbal soaps. Especially soaps made from natural ingredients and infused with essential oils and dried herbs, providing a pleasant aroma and gentle cleansing.  I get my herbal soaps from Soapy Roads here in Lombard and you can order online too!

4. Herbal Body Oils: Herbal body oils are a great way to nourish the skin and provide a relaxing massage. You can make your own body oils by infusing carrier oils with dried herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile or you can just use essential oils in a carrier oil.

Essential oils like lavender, lemon, and eucalyptus come with benefits. But other oils—like black pepper, clove, and peppermint—can irritate the skin, so choose carefully. To make a safe, DIY bath oil blend five to 20 drops of an essential oil with one tablespoon of a carrier oil (like grapeseed, jojoba, almond, or argan oil). Add the oil right before you're about to get into the bath to keep it from evaporating.

5. Herbal Sachets: Herbal sachets are small bags filled with dried herbs, which can be placed in drawers or closets to provide a pleasant aroma and natural pest control. You can make your own sachets using herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile. RECipe

Romantic Evening Dreams

• 1/2 cup rose petals
• 1/2 cup rosemary
• 1/4 cup lavender flowers
• 2 lemon verbena leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon mint
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 1 inch long, broken up

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.  Allow to meld for at least 2 days before placing in a sachet.

For a simple pillow, fill a 3- to 5-inch drawstring bag with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chosen herbs; draw strings and tie closed.

TO USE: place the sachet inside the pillowcase or under the pillow and inhale deeply as you fall asleep.  Enjoy the dreams!

6. Herb Garden: Giving an herb garden can be a great gift for a mom who likes gardening, cooking or both. You can give her a small indoor herb garden or a larger outdoor one.  Try these seed papers or these plant seedlings.

7. Herbal Candles : Herbal candles are a great way to provide a pleasant aroma and relaxation. You can make your own candles using beeswax and essential oils, or purchase pre-made herbal candles or those with pressed flowers.

All these gifts are thoughtful and can be personalized to your mom's preferences and interests, and can be a great way to show her how much you care.

Tea to Help you De-stress - Tea Blend of the Month

This blend of herbs is designed to help you handle stress and the reactions your body takes to it. it contains three herbs which work together on stress issues in a variety of ways.

Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi - helps to maintain the normal levels of the stress hormone, cortisol in the body. The leaf also has powerful adaptogen properties (also known as anti-stress agents). It helps sooth the nerves, regulates blood circulation and beats free radicals that are produced during an episode of stress

Chamomile flowers - always popular for its ability to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, it also adds an apple flavor to tea.

Oatstraw (Avena sativa) - a native of temperate northern Europe and southwest Asia, the plant will nourish the central nervous system and help one to fend off seasonal depression.

Seasonal Stress Reducing Tea

25 tsp holy basil, dried

10 tsp chamomile flowers, dried

5 tsp oatstraw, dried

Method 1. Measure out your dried herbs into a bowl.

2. Mix herbs together, then transfer to jar with a tight-fitting lid for storage.

TO USE: For a single cup or mug, 1 Tablespoon to 8 to 10 ounces of water. Place the herbs in a cloth bag, coffee filter tied closed, or a tea infuser. Pour boiled water over the herbs, set aside and let steep for 5-10 mins, Sit back and enjoy.

If you want to make the blend by the cup combine 2 tsp holy basil, 1 tsp chamomile, 1/2 tsp oatstraw, add the measured out ingredients to an infuser, place in cup and pour over, allowing to steep for 5 to 10 minutes before drinking.

Health Benefits -- Tea Ideas for the Month of August

Health Benefits of Herbal Tea

With a handful of herbs, many of which can be found in your kitchen cabinets or garden,  and a few basic techniques, you can brew up healing teas for everyday ailments.

There are lots of ways to enjoy the goodness of plants, but for accessibility and simplicity, it’s hard to beat a good cup of tea. I especially enjoy it when it the tea contains herbs I grew, foraged, or blended myself. 

There are also so many health benefits to drinking tea that can’t be denied. Here are a few of the known benefits.

ginger

Improves Digestion 

Several herbal teas have been shown to help with nausea, constipation, indigestion, and more. Fortunately, most of them are widely available and easy to make. Some herbs that are known to help include: ginger, peppermint, gentian root, fennel, angelica root, dandelion, senna, and marshmallow root

Mint teas are great for the stomach so tea with strong mint favors will help with digestion.  At Backyard Patch Herbs we have Shakespeare and Rest Easy Teas which will give you the mint flavor in an amount to help with stomach issues.

Peppermint and Green Tea

• 2 parts peppermint
• 1 part green tea

Combine together and store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, use 1 to 2 tsp per cup of hot water. Can be served hot or iced.

chamomile

Reduces Inflammation 

There are a variety of beneficial compounds present in different kinds of tea that can help to soothe inflammation, including tea itself as well as rose petals and rose hips, ginger, turmeric, chamomile, and more.

Backyard Patch Herbs has several types of tea that will help with inflammation - like Hibiscus Rose Blush, Turmeric Chai and Therapeutic.

Ginger and Hibiscus Tea

• 2 parts ginger
• 1 part hibiscus
• 1/2 part cranberries (if you want some extra tart)
• honey to taste (for some sweet)

If you use dried cranberries check to see if they added sugar before you add honey.  Combine all the items in a jar and use 1 to 2 teaspoons for 1 cup of hot water.  Great served hot or iced.

lavender

Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Herbal teas calm and relax the mind, relieving stress and anxiety. Since it calms the mind, drinking herbal tea before going to sleep also helps people who suffer from insomnia.

Chamomile is one of the best herbs for sleep and the reduction of stress.  Along with lavender, these two herbs can help with difficulties sleeping and the comforting effect may also act as a mild anti-depressant for some as it stimulates the brain to reduce feelings of depression and stress.

We have several teas to assist in this way.  Nerve Soothing is high in Chamomile, Dreamtime has both chamomile and lavender, and Calming Spirit gives the relaxation of lavender, mint and chamomile.

Anti-anxiety Herbal Tea Blend

• 2 tablespoons dried lemon balm
• 2 tablespoons dried rose hips, cut & sifted
• 1 tablespoon dried chamomile
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender

Combine materials and store in a lidded jar or tin. For a single serving hot cup of tea, place 1 tablespoon of the tea blend into a tea ball or bag. Add the filled tea ball or bag and fill with 1 cup (8 fl oz) hot water. Cover & let steep for 8-10 minutes, then enjoy! (Sweeten if desired!)

 

Herbal Gifts DIY

Coming up on Nov 6 we are presenting our Making Herbal Gifts program at District 214 in the Arlington Heights, IL  Area, so I thought I could share this blog post I first wrote as a Guest post on the Supporting Artists blog in December 2012.  The best thing about this is it is timeless and these items are great to make and perfect as gifts.

Using and gifting with herbs is such a special holiday treat. I thought I would share a few simple ideas that you can use to herb up your Holidays.

As an herb gardener, I enjoy the scents and smells of herbs, but this time of year the smell of spices is just as appealing. I craft these simmering spices to give my home the smell of gingerbread even when I do not have time for baking.

Simmer Spices

§  6 whole cinnamon sticks, broken

§  1 Tbls. whole allspice

§  1 Tbls. orange rind

§  1 Tbls. whole cloves

§  A handful of pine needles or fir needles, or you can substitute 2 Tbls. of Rosemary

Place all the items with water to cover in a simmer pot or place in a saucepan on the back burner with enough water to cover and keep on simmer. Refill the water whenever it gets low and enjoy the smell of Christmas!!

Seasoned Nuts

This is a recipe I share with my friends each year. I make it to serve at open houses. As a favor or gift I give my Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend with the recipe attached to those visiting. It is simple and easy to make and you can change up the nuts to suit your palate. If you do not have any Cinnful Dessert Blend, try pumpkin pie spice or just plain cinnamon.

Stirring the seasoned nuts, just before the oven

Cinnful Nuts (Cinnamon Roasted Nuts)

§  1/2 cup pecans

§  1/2 cup walnut halves

§  1 cup peanuts (see note below)

§  1 egg lightly beaten

§  1 tsp. water

§  3/4 cup sugar

§  1 Tbls. Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend

§  3/4 tsp. salt

Steps:

Combine the nuts. Mix together the egg and water and toss with the nut mixture. Combine the sugar, spices and salt and toss that with the nuts until they are well coated.

Spread nuts in a single layer on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Break up any large clusters and allow to cool.

(* NOTE: You can remove peanuts and increase the other nuts by ½ cup to make a different mixture. Or substitute hazelnuts for the peanuts.)

Inspiration Stimulation

When your creativity starts flagging because of all the pressure and use this delightful recipe for tea that combines sweet and savory herbs to construct a creative frame of mind. As a gift I tie 2 teaspoons of the herbs into cheese cloth squares or coffee filters and stack them in a decorative jar with a label including instructions.

§  1 Tbls. Hibiscus

§  1 Tbls. Lemon grass

§  ½ Tbls.Basil (Holy Basil if you have it is even better)

§  1 tsp. Rosemary

§  1 tsp. Cardamom seed (if you have pods crush and extract only the seed)

 

Combine in a container with a tight-fitting lid and use 2 tsp. per cup of hot water. Allow to steep 5 to 7 minutes.

Energizing Bath Bag Blend

Need more energy this holiday season? This combination of energizing herbs could do the trick. Create this blend of herbs and use it for yourself or make up a batch with your family and give them as gifts. The recipe makes 8 cloth bags of bath blend.

§  ½ cup lavender flowers

§  ½ cup peppermint

§  ½ cup spearmint

§  ½ cup lemon grass

§  8 drops lavender essential oil

§  10 drops lemon grass essential oil

§  5 drops peppermint essential oil

§  5 drops spearmint essential oil

Combine all herbs in a plastic bowl. Add oils by the drop and stir with a plastic spoon or spatula (not with your hands.) Allow to meld for an hour and then place about ¼ cup in a cotton muslin bag or heat sealed tea bag.

TO USE: Allow bath bag to steep in hot bath water for 3 to 5 minutes before bathing.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and if you like herbs, please visit my Shop where I highlight not only my cooking and tea herbs, but also baking mixes, soups mixes, and seasonal spices: www.backyardpatch.com or you can visit me at www.backyardpatch.etsy.com

 

 

CSA box or Subscription Box of herbs seasonings and teas

Need Herbs?  Can't get out? We have a new item to make your pantry items more tasty.

A Monthly Herb Box - we will include:

• 5 Herb Mixes (easy to use combinations of herbs with a purpose, like dressings, dips and rubs.)
• 1 Herb Seasoning (shaker mixes to stock your spice drawer where herbs are combined for flavor to enhance your main ingredient.)
• 1 Herbal Tea (100% caffeine-free, all herb blends designed to be tasty with a few medicinal attributes on the side.)
• 1 Recipe Combination folder (includes all the information you need to craft a tasty main dish with actually herbs, shopping list for other needs, and step-by-step recipe)
• And a fist-full of additional recipes to help you use the items included in the box.
• a special extra (we are always experimenting with new blends, teas or unique items and we will share our newest ideas with you.)  

Each box is only $19.95. You can order one or order them sent monthly.  We will choose the mixes and seasonings for variety and the teas for season of use.

If you want one to try we have a great $5.00 off coupon, which can be used through June 30, 2020, just use this code during checkout: CSABox1

Herbal Tea Cookies - Weekend Recipe

Log cookies are the easiest to make, and you can make them in advance and freeze the dough and just thaw and cut them when you want or need them. Herb flowers, herb teas and herb butters or herb flavored sugars allow you to make the recipe different every time. 

Herbal Tea Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons finely ground floral tea (can be all edible flowers or a flower and black tea blend)  

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Paper towel tubes (for the freezing process) 

Directions:

Whisk flour, tea and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Put butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined. Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper; shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Transfer in parchment to paper towel tubes; freeze until firm, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

RECIPE THEME:

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Cajun And Creole

May 2019 - Seafood Recipes

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Herb Tea Jelly

This is a great way to make a jelly that is different every time you make it by simply using a different herb tea.  Use your own tea blend or any of the 22 versions of herb tea available from Backyard Patch Herbs to make a perfect Herbal Jelly you can give as a gift or serve to guests.  I love Calming Spirit, Lemon Lavender Splash, and Lavender Peppermint as my favorites to make jelly from.  These photos show jelly made with Calming Spirit.  The lavender makes a darker jelly so it does not look pale and plain. If you are interested in learning to can jellies and other preserves, check out my Community Ed classes.

Basic Herb Tea Jelly

1 3/4 cup water

14 tsp. loose tea in one or more tea infusers or a coffee filter

1/4 cup orange or related juice

3 cups sugar

1-3 oz. package of liquid pectin

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add tea.  Steep for 30 minutes.  Remove tea bag or infusers add juice and sugar to brewed tea and bring to full rolling boil.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add pectin, return to full rolling boil and allow to boil for 1 full minute.  Skim off any foam.  Pour hot jelly into prepared jars and process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

Makes 8 to 12 1/2 pint jelly jars.

This jelly is a great combo to use with cream cheese or in our Surprise Muffin Mix.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails