Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Making Tea

Last week the tea was ready to pluck in the garden.
Do you see the tender leaves at the top of the branch.
That is what I pick.
There are a few brown leaves in among the leaves
and I usually pluck and toss those as they are damage from the winter.
There are 6 plants in the garden, but only 2 are mature
enough to pick from; so not alot of a crop.
Still it is fun to sip my own tea from the garden.
I spread the leaves out on my drying basket,
which I bought some years ago in Taiwan.
Then the oxidization begins.
It was an 80 degree day and I found the process
went much quicker than last year on a cooler day.
Then into the cast iron skillet the leaves went at a medium/low temp.
Last year I stirred fried for 20 minutes, but with the
heat I quit at 15 minutes this year.
The flavor was more toasty than last year too,
but still quite pleasant to drink.
I probably got about a 1/2 cup of roasted tea leaves.
Depending on the taste and effect you want
it isn't necessary to roast them, but applying some heat
does stop the oxidization. 
For me it is just a fun experiment each year
to be able to say I have my own tea in the cup.
It is very light in color, as you can see.
The finished tea is sitting on the right side of the cup. 

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/ 

Don't forget the give-away on Monday's post.


12 comments:

wisps of words said...

You are a true tea lover... To even grow, harvest, prepare and brew your own tea.

:-)

Bernideen said...

I doubt many have done this! I sure haven't! You have ventured out of the box into the advanced classes! Thanks for sharing your courage, research and knowledge!

Louca por porcelana said...

Having your own tea from your garden(and enjoy it!)is great!Hugs!

Margie said...

Wow! That's amazing that you can grow and brew your own tea.

Red Rose Alley said...

Wow, growing your own tea leaves in the garden, drying the leaves, frying the leaves, and then making a cup of tea.....what a process. And how fun to be able to say that you grew the tea in your garden. : )

~Sheri

Lorrie said...

You grow your own tea! That's amazing!

Angela McRae said...

I love this! I have never tried to actually make tea with my own tea plants, but I need to be brave like you and give it a try. And I love your drying basket--it's perfect for this!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

I am amazed that you grow your own tea leaves, roast them, and then have your very own tea to try! That is exciting!

Jeanie said...

Well done, you! I am MOST impressed!

roughterrain crane said...

Hello. How nice to taste the tea made by yourself!

Tracy said...

This is VERY fascinating, Marilyn! I've been wondering about growing my own tea... though not sure the plants would really thrive here, or mostly, survive our cold climate. :/ What a beautiful brew you have in your tea glass! Loved seeing and hearing about the process. :) ((HUGS))

Rosemary said...

This is fantastic! To be able to grow... harvest... process... brew... and sip your very own tea... Thank you for sharing the experience.