Do you love a good hot cup of herbal tea? You can make tea out of so many edible garden flowers, herbs and fruits. Here's a list of plants that you may have in your garden that you can use to make herbal teas this year. Check your garden and yard throughout the year and dry some ingredients for a lovely cup of tea.
How to Make Herbal Tea
Making herbal tea with your own garden plants, leaves and berries is actually very simple. I have made many teas out of garden plants, including my Rosehip Tea, that is sooo good with a little honey!
Dry the parts of the plants you are going to make the tea from, and then store them in glass jars in a dark place. For long-term storage, place in freezer bags and freeze, after drying. When you are ready to make tea, steep the dry herbs, leaves or berries, and drink hot.
Please note: Not all garden plants, or even all parts of plants, are edible. Be cautious and don't make tea out of plants that you are unsure of their identification or usage.
Hibiscus flowers- Rose of Sharon hibiscus grows even in the northwest climates and the blossoms make nice tea.
Rose hips and petals- Pick wild or garden grown rose hips and dry them for a lovely addition to tea that is lemony and high in vitamin C. Choose roses not fed commercial fertilizer or grown with chemical sprays.
Mint leaves- Mint is a classic herb tea and easy to grow. Try peppermint, spearmint, or wild mint, and there are more kinds out there too!
Anise leaves and stems- if you like licorice, you will want to grow anise. In my climate, a zone 4-5, anise is a reseeding plant that takes care of itself and even spreads a bit.
Lavender buds- Lavender is a perennial that has a wonderful fragrance and makes nice tea too.
Chamomile flowers- Chamomile is calming and quieting, a great tea for bedtime. It grows with little white flowers that make it a perfect choice for edible medicinal flowerbeds.
Violet flowers and leaves- Though not strong tasting on their own, they are a good one to add to a herbal garden tea blend.
Yarrow flowers- this can be grown in your garden, but also grows wild many places.
Chicory root- You probably didn't mean to grow this or dandelions. The root, dried and ground, makes a popular tea and coffee substitute.
Dandelion root- Same for dandelions as chicory!
Elderflowers- Elderflowers make healthful, refreshing teas. They are wild in many areas if you don't have them.
Raspberry leaves- Raspberry leaves are helpful for women's hormonal issues and make a nice addition to tea blends.
Currant leaves- Red Currant leaves can be also used for tea.
Garden berries- Blueberries, raspberries, currants, blackberries, elderberries, strawberries, and boysenberries make great tea. Dry them thoroughly, then steep for tea.
Organic orange and lemon peels - these will be in the gardens of hot southernly climates, but you can also use grocery store ones, if they are organic and washed carefully.
Apple peels- Peel the organic, washed apples and dry the peels. Steep with a pinch of cinnamon for a wonderful fall tea.
Dry all the ingredients for tea and store in glass bottles, like this:
Herbal Tea Blends
Peppermint- Peppermint leaves + Chamomile flowers
Chamomile- Chamomile flowers + hibiscus flowers with a dash of vanilla.
Blueberry Lemon- Dried blueberries, dried lemon peel, and violet leaves.
Apple Cinnamon- Apple peels + dried cinnamon sticks.
Chai Tea- Cinnamon sticks, clove buds, star anise
Raspberry- Raspberries, hibiscus flowers, lemon peel, and raspberry leaves
Does this inspire you to make herbal teas for yourself? I hope so! Just imagine curling up with a cup of home brewed herbal tea and a Cranberry Almond biscotti on a stormy evening sometime!
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-Sarah