TeaChat

So me and my coworker want to get some fresh herbs for the office. Our dull Network Operations Center needs a bit more greenery. I wanted to know if anyone grows their own herbs for tea?

So far our only ideas to grow in the office are Peppermint and Spearmint.

Ah well no one replied but we went out and only found a spearmint plant. Couldn't find a mint plant or anything else we might have wanted with tea. I guess that will do for now so we will see how it turns out.

I don't really grow many herbs for tea purposes, this up comming growing season I will be trying lots of stuff though...

I do grow lots of stuff around the house though; rosemary, mints, basil, etc.

This summer, I grew several varieties of peppermint and spearmint... for tea and for cooking... and for tabuleh, mmmm. I still have some in a pot in my living room, although it's deteriorating some since being brought indoors.

I also grew lemongrass, lemonbalm, sage, rosemary, lots of basil, flat leaf parsley, chives, hot oregano, marjoram, and thyme.... and lemon thyme, that was really nice. I think you could play with any of those for some herbal tea blends, but I just used them for cooking.

Sarah

15 to 20 Years ago I planted some Agastache in my garden.

The leaves smelled divine, a mixture of aniseed, tobacco and liqorice.
I searched everywhere to see if the could be used in the kitchen, but to no avail. I thought it's lack of appearance in Cookery books [even Mexican] and Herbals meant it was not suitable.

Now the Web has grown it is so much easier to find information.

I would be tempted to try it myself.



http://forums.seedsavers.org/showthread.php?t=479

What to do with them? Well, you make "tonic" or the fancy word being "tisane" out of them. Either green or dried but I would been green better. A. foeniculum if you could get a strain with a good, complex scent should make an outstanding tonic. Might even be naturally sweet with its fennel-like oils.

Vulture wrote:Ah well no one replied but we went out and only found a spearmint plant. Couldn't find a mint plant or anything else we might have wanted with tea. I guess that will do for now so we will see how it turns out.

Spearmint is mint, and it makes great tea. Peppermint has a stronger menthol scent/flavour, spearmint is a little more sugary and less intense.

Pretty easy to grow but it needs at least a few hours of direct sunlight if you are growing it indoors, or a full spectrum fluorescent light for 12-14 hours no more than 12" from the plant. Some fertilizer occasionally too and it likes soil to remain a little damp but not sopping wet.
If growing it outdoors, a little more shady, and keep it under control or in a pot because it will rapidly take over your garden. It's a fast grower and fairly weed-like.

Also, when flower shoots emerge, cut them off - the plant will no longer produce leaves from those shoots if you let them flower.

Sadly enough I can't find most of those kind of herbs to grow. But luckily alot of teas have them like for instance spearamint so I'ts not too big of a deal. I belive the best place to look would be a big flower nursery or what not.