New Feature - Monthly Herb Tea Crafting Ideas

I have a boat and a garage and a house full of tea recipes.  Some I learned, some I crafted from scratch some I created by accident. I share them regularly on the blog (you can find them by searching Tea Recipes on the blog) but I thought it might be nice to be more organized about it and share some tea creating ideas every month. These will include recipes for tea, recipes for items to serve with tea and highlights on herbs to grow for making tea. 

I started my first herb garden in 1992, because I love herb tea.  However I wanted my herb (caffeine-free) tea to be as nuanced in flavors as the black teas I also enjoy, like Earl Grey with a hint of orange from bergamot oil, or Assam Tea which has a chocolaty finish to go with the malty strong flavor. What was available in the stores were generally single herb teas like peppermint or chamomile and those were not subtle. So I began experimenting with herbs and their flavors and creating combinations.  

I started with two-herb combos like Lemon balm and Lavender (now called Lemon Lavender Splash and made with multiple lemon herbs) or Lemon balm and peppermint (called Lemon Peppermint and made in the winter because of its throat-soothing properties.) Then I moved to three and four herb combinations like Dreamtime (chamomile, lavender and catnip,) Headache Relief  a combo of lavender, rosemary and thyme and Nerve Soothing (sage, thyme, marjoram, chamomile, because you can be soothing without lavender.)

Once I gained confidence in my blending skills, I began making multi-herb blends like my popular hot and iced tea called Calming Spirit named so because it is made with relaxing herbs of spearmint, lavender, chamomile, rosemary and cloves for color. Now I can create a tea with any number of herbs and spices and enjoy a side hustle of custom tea blends for groups, events and weddings.  If you have questions about herbs for your tea, please ask in the comments down below.

There are many recipes I have made or adapted to try at home, use in cocktails and tryout for programs so I thought I would share some of these experiments and perhaps a few of my commercial failures with you and let you judge them for yourself. And since herbs are best with shortbread and scones, I will share a few of those recipes along the way as well.

As it is May I decided to start with an iced teas, you can then enjoy a cooling blend as summer heats up. Although as I write this is is not yet very warm, I am hopeful that by publication it will be warm enough outdoors for you to enjoy these recipes on your porch or deck.

Tea Idea to Start

Lemon Verbena-Apple Mint Tea
Nothing is more refreshing in the summer than lemon verbena iced tea, and a hint of apple and mint adds a twist.

1 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves, loosely packed
½ cup fresh apple mint leaves, loosely packed
2 quarts water

Bring water to a boil.  Turn off water and add the herbs, bruising them slightly.  Cover pot and let sit for 10 minutes.  Strain out herbs, allow to cool and add ice.

Another Tea Idea

Now if you do not bring in your lemon verbena plants for winter like I do , you might not have any of that herb just yet, so here is a recipe you can make with kitchen herbs, or those you can gather at the grocery. I shared this years ago in my herbal newsletter - which is now called the Good Thymes....

Nippy Iced Tea  

• 5-6 stems catnip
• 4-5 stems peppermint
• 4-5 stems lemon balm
• A bit of sage 1-2 leaves

Because you are dealing with stems of herbs, place the stems in a roaster pan pour boiling water of them and let steep 20 to 30 minutes.  Chill and serve over ice with a splash of fresh cool water. Start with one quart of water and if it is too strong add another quart.  Allow to cool then serve with ice.  The mint is cooling and refreshing while the lemon balm is uplifting.  The catnip and sage will help with allergies too!

Stop back next month for more tea ideas!

Chamomile Foot Soak - Bath Blend of the month

Botanical bath and shower products inspired by the garden were not my first creations when I started Backyard Patch Herbs.  In fact I expected not to make many at all.  When I began I had Italian Dressing & Marinade, Marcy's Dill Dip, 6 herbal tea blends and one bath salt recipe and that was my entire catalog in 1997.  

Somehow that has changed and I now make a large number of Bath Products.  They are fun and simple to create.  I have formulated more recipes than I can ever put into my catalog of products so I have decided that I will share some of my favorite bath formulations each month.  Come back around the beginning of each month for another special body treatment.

One way to soothe and pamper tired, achy tootsies that rarely see the light of day in the winter is to soak them in a hot foot bath. 

Water temperature is a personal preference, but I find the hottest my feet will comfortably tolerate gives the most relief, and then you have warmed up your feet from the outside when the temps did down.

Chamomile Tea Foot Soak

You can make this with tea bags or loose tea in a tea infuser.  (I recommend BYP Nerve Soothing Tea if you have it on hand - you will get the benefits of Chamomile as well as the bacteria and fungi fighting qualities of sage and thyme with the pain reduction qualities of marjoram)

4 tea bags of 4 to 6 tsp loose tea in a tea infuser
1/8 cup dried parsley
4 drops Essential oil of choice (lemon or apple for scent, cinnamon for warming, thyme for germ fighting are all good)

Place all ingredients in a foot tub or shallow bucket and pour 1 gallon of boiling water over the ingredients.  Allow to steep in hot water for 10 minutes before slipping your feet into the water for a soak.

After a good long soak, dry your feet thoroughly and apply a moisturizing lotion before slipping on socks or slippers!

Backyard Patch Teas and making a Tea Library

Winter is a perfect time for tea.  I love it when it is cold, also when I am not feeling my best because of its soothing, warming and healing properties. I can never have enough flavors and styles and origins of tea, but I know that most people are not quite like that.  But think about tea like your closet, do you have only one color of clothing in your closet?  

No you have different fabric, textures, weights, patterns and colors.  The same is true of tea. A well-stocked tea  collection should be approached just as you approach filling your closet or your kitchen; choose a variety of different options, across a few broad categories, so that you know you’ll always have something to suit your mood. 

Not only are herbal infusions incredibly healthy, they are available in a huge array of flavors.  In fact, the choices when it comes to herbal teas might just be so wide that it becomes overwhelming.  If you feel like there are too many options to consider, you might be tempted to stick to the one brand or blend that you know, and forgo the rest of the possibilities.  But if you stick to only one herbal infusion, you’re missing out on some fantastic flavors, and some really valuable health advantages.  How can you branch out and expand your herbal collection without fumbling through the tea aisle of your supermarket for an hour?  

First of all, think about adding to your collection one herb tea at a time.  Try looking for an herbal tea in a different flavor profile than the one you already have at home.  Look at the options you have, and consider which category each belongs in:  floral (like hibiscus or orange blossom), fruity (like peach, berry, or apple), spicy (like cinnamon or Chai), or earthy (like rooibos or chamomile).  Once you’ve determined what flavor profiles you already have, experiment with a new flavor.  Or, try a new blend that mixes something you know you love with something you haven’t tried yet.  If you’re apprehensive about committing to a big bag of tea, before knowing whether or not you’ll like the flavor, seek out a sample size.

At Backyard Patch Herbs I make 22 varieties of Herb Tea, and a dozen teas with Green Tea and I create Black tea and Herbal Tea Blends whose number increases seasonally as I blend custom flavors for groups.

One of my first herbal tea blends was called Nerve Soothing.  It was crafted to help people relax, but the blend also has medical properties as well, because of the herb ingredients.  Chamomile for reducing or handling anxiety, thyme for its medical cold overpowering properties and digestive help, marjoram for the cough and cold fighting abilities and sage to cool illness, anxiety and stomach issues so you can just relax.

                                                                 Nerve Soothing Tea

Another of my early teas was Dreamtime,  A blend of lavender for stress reduction, chamomile for anxiety and catnip to improve relaxation.  The combination will help one relax and drift off to sleep more easily.

If you are interested in sampling teas, try out the Tea Samplers where you can get a grouping of three teas on various themes like Marvelous Mint or Luscious Lavender.