There’s nothing more soothing than a cup of herbal tea—but how much tastier and fresher is that cup of tea when you have grown the herbs yourself. Hang on—it’s not as difficult as it sounds. You can plant herbs for tea in your yard—or in flowerpots on your windowsill or patio. You are guaranteed freshness, plus all the health benefits of these teas—from soothing digestion to easing sore throats. To help you get started, Mindy Green, a Minneapolis-based aromatherapist and herbalist (GreenScentsations.com), explains how to grow, harvest and prepare your own herbal teas.

BEST HERBS TO GROW FOR TEA

The following flavorful herbs offer an array of health benefits. Start by growing three or four, and make your own blends…

  • Calendula

Health benefits: Anti-inflammatory. Helps lymph system.

Planting and picking: Grows inside or outside. Marigold-like. Use flowers.

  • Chamomile (German species)

Health benefits: Anti-inflammatory. Helps digestion, helps you relax.

Planting and picking: Grows best outside. Needs large plot (size of four-person dining table). Yield is small. Pinch off flowers, not leaves.

  • Hops

Health benefits: Helps digestion, helps you relax.

Planting and picking: Grows only outside. Use the seed body for tea.

  • Lavender

Health benefits: Antibacterial, helps you relax and boosts immunity.

Planting and picking: Grows inside or outside. Best if purchased as a starter plant because it takes a while to grow from seed. Pick flowers.

  • Lemon verbena

Health benefits: Helps with digestion, sleep and concentration.

Planting and picking: Grows inside or outside. Pretty plant and beautiful smell. Use leaves.

  • Mint

Health benefits: Helps with digestion, sinusitis and headaches.

Planting and picking: Easy to grow inside. Spreads easily when outside and can take over the garden, so grow in a pot. Use leaves.

  • Passionflower

Health benefits: Helps you relax, calms nerves.

Planting and picking: Grows best outside. Needs room to climb. Use leaves and flowers.

  • Rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram

Health benefits: Anti-inflammatory. Antioxidant. Helps upper respiratory problems and sore throats.

Planting and picking: Grows easily inside or outside. Use leaves, including rosemary’s needlelike leaves.

GROWING IN YOUR GARDEN

Many of these herbs for teas can be easily grown from seeds. Or you can purchase starter plants from a nursery, which are more expensive but provide faster results. You will need at least two or three plants in order to provide enough of the herbs to make tea. Specific plant-care information (climate, humidity level, amount of sunlight needed) is available on seed packages and from nurseries. You can purchase seeds from an online supplier, such as Horizon Herbs (HorizonHerbs.com).

HARVESTING YOUR TEA

When you want to enjoy your herbal tea, you can harvest a few fresh leaves or flowers while the plant is growing. Or, if you have an overabundance of leaves or flowers (or at the end of the growing season), you can dry them. Easy to do: Tie a small number of stalks together, and hang them upside down from the ceiling in the kitchen. When crisp to the touch, the leaves are dry enough to be used or stored. Store whole leaves or flowers in an airtight container. If the plant is a healthy perennial (once planted, it blooms every season), don’t cut the stalks too low or the plant will not bloom again. Stored herbs will last for about two years.

PREPARING YOUR TEA

To prepare tea, place fresh or dried leaves or flowers in a tea ball (tear up fresh leaves first) or loose at the bottom of a teapot. For best results, use one teaspoon of dried herbs or one tablespoon of chopped-up fresh leaves or flowers per cup of hot water. You can experiment with different types of herbal blends—for example, a herbal blend might include mint, lemon verbena and rosemary (a blend that helps digestion) or passionflower, chamomile and lavender (a calming nighttime blend). Pour boiling water over the tea, cover the pot and steep the tea for five to 15 minutes, according to your taste. Use a strainer to prevent any loose leaves or flowers from being poured into the teacup.

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