Brew Ha Ha in the Herb Garden

Besides Being Tasty, Fresh Herbal Teas Can Have Medicinal Value

The first time Martha Wida of Westminster made a cup of herbal tea from her garden, she was pleasantly surprised.

“That was by far the best cup of tea I’d ever had,” said Wida, who is past president of the California Organic Gardening Club and a University of California master gardener.

Besides being tasty, fresh herbal teas also have medicinal value, said Tess Calhoun, a member of the Orange County Herb Society, who will host the club’s annual tea on May 6.

“Mint and chamomile tea, for instance, are known for calming the stomach and aiding in digestion, and they’re both really easy to grow in the garden,” Calhoun said.

Herbal tea benefits

“Herbal teas are very helpful for those people trying to live a healthier lifestyle,” agreed registered dietitian Susan Weiner of Merrick, N.Y., a nutritionist for the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid. “Teas made from the garden are calming, soothing, taste great, and are calorie-free. Iced herbal tea is the perfect alternative to preservative-laden soda.”

Growing and Brewing Herbal Tea

Growing and brewing herbal tea is easy. Many good tea herbs such as mint, chamomile, basil, lemon balm, and anise hyssop grow quickly if planted at this time of year.

Mixing blends is tricky to do, but a treat to taste, said Renee Shepherd, owner of Felton, Calif.-based Renee’s Garden seeds, which carries a variety of herb seeds.

“Creating herbal tea blends is considered an art, and those professionals who create tea mixes are highly paid,” Shepherd said. “Dream up your own fabulous blends fresh from the garden.”

Tips for Making the Best Herbal Tea

  • Use two to three tablespoons of fresh herbs for each cup of tea, and one to two tablespoons of dry herbs per cup. For a four-cup pot, you’ll need 8-12 tablespoons fresh herbs or 4-8 tablespoons dried. Iced tea requires more herbs because you’ll be diluting it with ice. Try four tablespoons fresh or two tablespoons dried per cup.
  • Start with cool water and bring it just to an audible rolling boil. Rinse a china or glass teapot with a small amount of hot water to warm it. Add herbs and fill the pot with hot water. Steep for three to five minutes. Use a tea strainer when pouring.
  • Add sweeteners like sugar or honey after pouring the tea. Or for an all-herbal approach, put some sweet leaf (stevia) in the mix and you won’t need other sweeteners.
  • Try various additions to your tea such as lemon or orange slices, juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and fresh ginger.
  • Dry excess herbs to enjoy them year-round. Hang herbs upside down or dry them on screens in a shady area with good air circulation. After drying, strip herbs from the branches and store them in tightly sealed glass jars away from strong light. Replace herbs each season.

Good Tea Herbs

You can use just about any herb to make tea. The following are especially tasty and widely available:

  • Anise hyssop: Has a licorice or anise flavor that pairs well with mint. Its lavender flowers attract butterflies. Grow in full sun or partial shade.
  • Basil: Cinnamon and lemon basil are great for tea. Prefers rich, well-drained soil and full sun or partial shade.
  • Chamomile: Known for its apple-like flavor. Plant in a sunny spot with rich soil and good drainage.
  • Fennel: Adds a sweet licorice flavor to tea. It can grow 4 to 6 feet high and prefers full sun.
  • Lemon balm: Adds a lemon tang to tea. Best grown from plants as it’s slow to germinate.
  • Lemon verbena: Adds a strong lemon flavor to tea and prefers full sun with good drainage.
  • Lemon grass: All parts of this plant are lemon-scented and great for lemon tea. Needs full sun and good drainage.
  • Lemon thyme: A small, shrubby perennial that adds warm lemony undertones to tea. Prefers dry soil and full sun.
  • Mint: Offers a refreshing flavor. Comes in many varieties, including peppermint, spearmint, and chocolate mint. Grows best in moist, partially shaded areas.

Pink Lemonade Tea Recipe

Tess Calhoun of the Orange County Herb Society shares one of her favorite herbal tea blend recipes:

Combine:

  • 1/4 cup dried pink fragrant roses
  • 1/4 cup dried red hibiscus flowers
  • 1/8 cup pineapple sage blossoms (harvest and dry in the fall and winter)
  • 1/8 cup dried citrus flowers
  • 1/4 cup lemon verbena

Add a handful of the herb mixture to a four-cup pot of water.

Additional Resources

  • The Orange County Herb Society meets the first Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. at the Irvine Ranch Water District building, 15600 San Canyon Ave., Irvine, (714) 374-5632.
  • For Renee’s Garden seeds, call (888) 880-7227 or visit Renee’s Garden.

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.