Ivan tea (fermentation of fireweed leaves) - master class

Nastya, I greet you, the tea watchman and Macho! How I love reading your posts! Enjoyment - from content to syllable and photo!
I really like your macho. But no matter how much I liked this tea, I decided not to make it anymore, although it is very easy. But it takes up so much space! I think this method is very good for the very busy. Well, gorgeous tea for gifts!

Girls, you would at least show your teas too ... You twist the rolls, and sausages, and cut, and in general each has its own way, it's interesting to look. As in jars with petals, teas lie or something else interesting. It will liven up the theme and give the newcomers a teacup appetite!

I strongly support! Girls, show off more of your seagull. So I want to see what you do!

then I'm the only one bragging about as the most greyhound smart

Nastya, you are ... Togo ... Keep showing and telling about your tea! Can you invent any Spaniard or Indian?
Thank you, Nastenka, for such a detailed and interesting report!

Here is my first batch of Kapor tea
🔗.
Now the next batch is being fermented, some of which will be large-leaf. Let's see what happens

[Basja]

Basja, Well, thank you ! Excellent tea by sight. How many hours did you ferment it?

About 22-25 hours. I can't say for sure, I determined by its appearance that it was "enough" and by its smell.
py. Sy forgot to write that I fermented it in the oven with the light on (this is about 24-25 °) with the door ajar. I prepared the first batch in the country. And the second batch had to be taken to Moscow, since I collected 3 kg from greed, although more than 500 grams were spent in waste, but I was afraid to use a meat grinder (albeit electric) that it would burn, so I took it to Moscow. Here on a combine harvester cranked in 1800, and kneaded the rest of the hands. Now it is also fermented in the oven.
For myself, I concluded that one should not chase after quantity, one should enjoy what one is doing, otherwise it turned out that I collected the leaves very quickly in the morning, but I was sorting through it almost until the end of the day .... - I was tired. Now only 1-1.5kg. I will collect in order to combine business with pleasure.

[Basja]

Basja, do you ferment green?
And I won't dare, because I'm going to do it for the first time, I'm waiting for everything to bloom ...

Here is my first batch of Kapor tea

What a beautiful!!!! I just want to try it !!!!

Ivan tea is already blooming, the first harvest was made on June 3, the leaves were tender, juicy, the second harvest was on June 11, the leaves are already coarser ...

Good morning girls! Yesterday, at the dacha, I made cherry tea and this time it turned out to be greenish-brown. True, I twisted it in a meat grinder, and made the last batch in sheet. The other tea turned out to be dark chocolate, rich in color (because leafy? And fried in the oven?). Yesterday I fried a new batch in a pan, maybe that's why the color is strange? With this party, it was generally a hassle. I collected cherry and hawthorn leaves, about 1.5 kg each and laid them out for withering, dried for more than a day for a long time, like the sun, but does not want to wither, that's all. And then overnight, once, and half dried. I had to choose dry leaves from raw materials. Cherry, although it saved a lot, changed the color of the leaves to brownish-brown. I froze her. After defrosting, the leaf remained somewhat dry. While I was scrolling through the meat grinder, I was exhausted, the sheet was somehow oily, it did not scroll, but I coped with the difficulty. Fried until half the night. The hawthorn was completely thrown away, dried up at the stage of withering.

Read here about hawthorn tea, cherries, etc.
https://Mcooker-enn.tomathouse.com/index.php@option=com_smf&topic=389380.0

[Basja]

For myself, I concluded that one should not chase after quantity, one should enjoy what one is doing, otherwise it turned out that I collected the leaves very quickly in the morning, but I was sorting through it almost until the end of the day .... - I was tired. Now only 1-1.5kg. I will collect in order to combine business with pleasure.

Basja, Nina, thanks for describing the tea making process. You are doing everything correctly and reasoning correctly! Indeed, you need to make tea with pleasure. Only then will it work and be beneficial.

Read here about hawthorn tea, cherries, etc.

Thank you, Nina, for directing Luda to the specialized topic of garden plants.

Yesterday, at the dacha, I made cherry tea and this time it turned out to be greenish-brown.

Luda, all garden scent is much more difficult to twist in a meat grinder than Ivan tea. Especially cherries and blacks. And, of course, you rolled the leaves. I once, already this season, even slightly overburned Ivan tea, knocked out the meat grinder. Protection worked. And what can we say about garden scent. And by August-September it will be even more difficult. At this time, I twist it manually to save the electric one.

And I won't dare, because I'm going to do it for the first time, I'm waiting for everything to bloom ...

Kokoschka, Lilya, we have been making ivan tea since mid-May. And now we have to start. The tea will turn out to be very good.

Oh, Lyudochka, I'm sorry, I left a post on the wrong topic, thanks for answering and not scolding!

And this is my large leaf medium fermentation
🔗

Kokoshka, Lilya, we have been making Ivan tea since mid-May. And now we have to start. The tea will turn out to be very good.

Lyudochka, every day I almost walk past my favorite clearing in the forest, with Ivan Chai !!

But it doesn't bloom there yet, there are trees around and the clearing is so pretty, closed,
But if you advise me to start, then there is no urine to wait .......

Lyudochka, I'll ask a stupid question again ... well, tell me, how much does a cherry leaf need to wither? it does not wither at all, but simply dries. Moreover, I did not dry the very first batch, but only froze it, but now we have found out that it is necessary to dry it, but today I again killed a batch of leaves .... What am I doing wrong?

Oh, I wrote in the wrong place again ...

[Kokoschka]

Well, tell me, how much does a cherry leaf need to wither? it does not wither at all, but simply dries.

Luda, I can't tell from the time how long they dried. If it's damp, it can dry out for more than a day. Do you accidentally dry them in the sun? And you don't need to dry it with a thin layer either - 3 - 5 cm is needed, then they have no chance to dry. Well, the leaves have never dried out, even in last year's heat on the veranda.

But if you advise me to start, then there is no urine to wait .......

Kokoschka, Lilya, of course, I advise. we even made it 20 cm, very small. And now he's ready. The leaves are delicate and easily processed.

And this is my large leaf medium fermentation

Basja, Nina, great tea! Thanks for the photo!

[Anastasia]

Anastasia, very beautiful tea, and I just want to not only watch, but also touch and taste with my hands. I would gladly show everything, but on my phone there is a very weak camera, I take photos when my sons come, so there is nothing to share yet.

[Basja]

Basjawhat teas are enticing! That little black one out of the box right away and would have brewed it!
And leafy, like an elite Chinese straight, gives off a jade color.

[francevna]

francevna, Allathanks for rating the tea!
But for now, alas and ah, I like the unsightly granular taste better.
And my Machi, both in the infusion and in the smell, lose to granules, maybe for now.

But for now, alas and ah, I like unsightly granular

Nastya, and we will decorate him with petals and berries, so he will become even more beautiful than Macho.

finally collected Ivan-tea Leaves!
It is already blooming.
Wanted to make sure . and ferment the flowers or simply dry them (not yet collected, probably in a couple of days it will bloom in full bloom).

Lilya, congratulations on your first tea!
It is better to dry the flowers just like that, in a dryer at a low temperature. They are then very good as an additive to tea. And you can also boil fireweed "honey". Looks very nice and delicious.

probably in a couple of days it will bloom with might and main).

No, it blooms for a long time - until mid-July it will still bloom flowers.
And here you can see the recipe for fireweed "honey":

Fireweed "honey" (lappl1)

ferment flowers

No, Lyudmila just dries them.

Well, tell me, how much does a cherry leaf need to wither? it does not wither at all, but simply dries.

I will write about my already two-season experience with a cherry leaf: after collecting the leaves, regardless of their quantity, I put a bag in a PET bag and tie it tightly overnight or for a day (as it happens), while the leaf withers, but does not dry out. Then I twist the dried up in a meat grinder. Goes a little tough because the cherry leaf is dense and leathery, but the main thing is not to rush and not push too much and let the engine rest, min. twisting 10, min. 15-20 I let the engine cool down. Well, and one more useful advice: I ferment in PET bags, so I tie the bag around the throat of the meat grinder and twist the leaf straight into it. No green splashes, no unnecessary dishes for washing.

and in the shade, with a layer of 3 - 5 cm. And stir more often

Lyudmila, I agree to all 100. but the withering process is long, and I don't have time to be near him and stir up. The last time I scattered it on the mountain, it is certainly very hot there, although there is no sun, I covered it with a cloth on top and went into a cosmetic bag, and when I arrived, it turned out that the sheet was on top, under the cloth, dried up. Now I think, what can I think of so that my work would not be wasted, and the leaves would wither.

Luda, I can only answer this with an example. If we do not have time to fry potatoes, but we still want them, then you can throw the potatoes into the pan and come to her when, in our opinion, it is ready. As a result, we get coals at the bottom, and raw potatoes at the top.
So it is with our tea. If we want to get quality tea, then conditions must be observed at all stages. non-observance of them will give the result to which you came.
Do not dry leaves on the street. Only in the house. In the house, they have no chance to dry out.

Now I think, what can I think of so that my work would not be wasted, and the leaves would wither.

I can advise the method that was used in the old days - the leaves, laid out in a layer of 1 - 3 cm, were tightly wrapped in a thick cloth (towels). The canvas will absorb excess moisture. Our mistletoe does that. And I'm happy with the result.
This is roughly what it looks like. I can tell right away that this method did not work for me, apparently, I make a lot of leaves at once.

Eh, girls, how upset I am! I made a trip out of town in the hope of picking up Ivan-chai, but in the wrong direction, he was not there. Now, only next Saturday I’ll go further away, in the other direction. Last year he grew up there, I hope that I will find him in this too.

[Ivanovna5]

Ivanovna5, Anna, we have a lot of girls from St. Petersburg. Go to the Tea Gazebo (active link under each of my posts). Ask the girls about Ivan tea places. Good luck to you . Nothing, the Ivan tea season is still long. You will have time to do it.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Lyudochka, thanks! With one of them

we have many girls from St. Petersburg

I even live nearby, seven minutes away, this is Nastenka. We have already met before and I also know Oksana.
I also know a place where it grows a lot, but only with my husband you need to go there for 2 days with a tent. If he will not work on the weekend, then we have already agreed on the trip.

[Ivanovna5]

Ivanovna5, Anya, well then, everything is all right! If it doesn't work out with my husband, then you can negotiate with the girls and go just for the leaves.

I went to the country house for three days.In addition to the beds, it was possible to implement especially pleasant ideas. I collected 5 kg of fireweed, processed one with large-leaf, and crumpled it in a basin. The rest are in the freezer. I will study at home. I also picked up leaves of hawthorn, blackthorn and mountain ash. So I think, to process everything together, a little of them? I also made a small jar of gulbesheker jam.
This is tea.

Natalya, you are a hero, I wrote above that I gathered 3 kg, and then I "suffered", and you are five. Of course, process it in parts, otherwise tea will be "not a joy". And the tea turned out beautiful.

[Basja]

Basja, Nina,, you have nice granules. I also plan to try to make granular later. So far, I like the large-leaf one, and so do others. Yesterday I crumpled, I thought I will not be anymore, it's hard. And today I want it again in the same way. It looks very impressive. The leaves are in the freezer, they don't ask for food, just to have time to process it before the next trip, otherwise you will want to collect more. Moreover, it grows in huge quantities next to the site. Last year's photo.

[niamka]

niamka, Natalia, well done! Great tea! And 5 kg and, however, cannot be processed right away. But nothing, it will not deteriorate in the freezer, it will only be easier to process.
Thanks for the foci! Beautiful and tea, and fireweed!

[lappl1]

lappl1, Ludmila, thanks. Now I can't be stopped. Even the beds were not stopped from collecting different leaves. And on the way on the slope I found ripe strawberries, dried them a little in teas, and picked up honeysuckle there too.

Now I can't be stopped.

Natasha, oh, this is familiar to me! Tea first, and then everything else!
Wow, do you already have strawberries? We must go. I have strawberries nearby, 100 meters from the house.

[Luda]

Luda, strawberries are red only on a hill on the southern steep slope, in other places somewhere green berries are just beginning, somewhere in general they only bloom.
Now she was spinning a hawthorn in a manual meat grinder, cursed everything in the world. My meat grinder is useless. I added some mountain ash, blackthorn and fireweed there. All the same, it does not twist, it only vazyukat inside. Well, I will drink tea not granulated, but small crumbs. It already smells delicious.

Lyudmila, I agree to all 100. but the withering process is long, and I don't have time to be near him and stir up. The last time I scattered it on the mountain, it is certainly very hot there, although there is no sun, I covered it with a cloth on top and went into a cosmetic bag, and when I arrived, it turned out that the sheet was on top, under the cloth, dried up. Now I think, what can I think of so that my work would not be wasted, and the leaves would wither.

Thank you very much for the tea recipe! Specially registered to thank.
Yesterday I made tea according to your recipe. The first pancake is a little lumpy - I mixed up the drying time and the leaves were not 12, but all 24 hours. Of course they were dry. It was a pity to throw them away - while they were in our bedroom, my husband and I almost went crazy from the divine scent. It was a sin to throw them away, I ran them through a meat grinder, dried them in a dehydrator. I twisted several leaves by hand and dried them too. So - tea from those that were large - the taste turned out to be something between green and white tea, but at the same time with a strong hypnotic effect, and tea from granules - all three children assured that it was banana. These are the miracles, I can't even imagine the taste of the right tea, this one already suits me completely. Yes, I forgot to say that the fireweed is not blooming yet, they collected the most delicate leaves.
Low bow to the author for the recipe from our entire family! Shop tea, I think we will never drink again.

[lyka]

lyka, welcome to tea themes! I am very glad that you made your first tea! Cook it with contentment!
lyka, I understand that you completely missed the fermentation process? But what about without her? This will be a different result. Or did you just skip the description of this step?

Sorry, I made a mistake with the description. The granules fermented for about 15 hours, were very dry, the tea turned out to be green in color.Today I'm going to collect fireweed, let's see what happens.

[lyka]

dried in a dehydrator

lyka, I understand that in the dehydrator the temperature above 70 * cannot be done? So? It would be better to dry the tea in the oven, so that at the beginning of drying it is 100 *. Then the tea will taste better and the color will be darker.

I twisted several leaves by hand and dried them too.

And what was your layer during fermentation? Have you fermented several leaves separately? A small layer during fermentation can also cause light tea.

You fermented several leaves separately

I just thought ... but you can, if there is not enough material for the experiment, to ferment in one vessel at the same time both leaves and granules. For example, the leaves are under pressure from the bottom while you twist the granules. And then on top of the granules and fermentation. Well, remove the oppression, of course.

[Radushka]

Radushka, sure you may! Then the leaves and granules will have different degrees of fermentation, and the tea will turn out to be very interesting.

It was dried in a dehydrator at a temperature of 70, about the color of the tea - after drying it is closer to green tea, and the brewed one is very beautiful, like in your recipe in the second photo. And I fermented everything together, then I just removed individual leaves from above. Once upon a time, my grandfather constantly drank Ivan-tea, I remember this taste from childhood, but here's how he brewed it - I didn't guess to ask. Grandpa is gone for a long time and there is no one to ask. That year she collected fireweed, dried it - tried to drink it - hay with hay. They threw everything out. I think your recipe is the recipe for that fragrant tea from my childhood. So thanks again so much for sharing. There are a lot of recipes on the Internet, but it was your detailed description and delicious photos that prompted you to try it. Today I collected the second batch, we have it not blooming yet, instead of flowers - such small, very delicate leaves, I could not resist, I collected these tops separately. Now I have two questions - will collecting these leaves harm the plants and can they also be fermented?

And another question. You have written that "The end of fermentation is a change in the color of the mass from green to brown, as well as a change in the herbal smell to a strong floral-fruity aroma." I got a very strong aroma already in the process of "withering". But fermentation only changed the color of the tea, the smell rather weakened. Maybe there was no need to ferment anything afterwards? What is the field for experiments now)))

[lyka]

Will collecting these leaves harm the plants and can they also be fermented?

lyka, will not hurt. Fermentation is possible and even necessary. Open the topic from about 51 pages.
Here are quotes from some of the posts:

natushka, do not worry, we will not get tired! It is perennial, with a large rhizome, creeping in different directions. It reproduces, of course, by self-sowing, but it is impossible to completely remove the entire plantation. And when collecting herbs, they are guided by the rule - to leave about 10-15 percent of the plants. And even from one Ivan-tea plant, so many seeds will scatter! Collect, do not be afraid, a new one will grow!

Girls, we started making young Ivan tea. We collect the leaves by breaking the stems. Many are worried whether we will harm the plant and destroy our fireweed plantations. Several times we have tried to reassure tea-makers that nothing terrible will happen if the stems are broken off at a height of 10-15 cm. It will only be better. Today I picked fireweed and I came across stems that for some reason were broken off. Here is a photo of one of them. It can be seen that lateral shoots from dormant buds have already begun to grow. Now, instead of 1 stem, this scent will have a lot. A lush bush will grow. So, we calmly tear fireweed with stems, and peel at home. Until tall fireweed grows. Then it will be easy to assemble. But there will be no tea in May. There will be great tea, but different.
We will benefit from such a collection. Now, many more leaves for tea can be harvested from the same area.

I got a very strong aroma already in the process of "withering". But fermentation only changed the color of the tea, the smell rather weakened. Maybe there was no need to ferment anything afterwards? What is the field for experiments now)))

You need to ferment, but less. We fermented for 3 hours young.
Please read the comments starting from about 51 pages. We managed to write a lot of interesting things.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Lyudmila. the first batch from the grinder is dried the smell is wonderful. I decided to make the second batch with my hands and now I wrinkle. like dough.
Then you have to under oppression. right? And should the sheets be cut or left intact?

Then you have to under oppression. right? And should the sheets be cut or left intact?

Lily, that's right, do the oppression so that the fermentation goes better. And you don't need granulated tea, because everything is already there tightly.
Leaves do not need to be cut. But if you want the tea to be smaller, then cut it. But large-leaf looks very nice. Decide for yourself how you do it, so it will be.

[lappl1]

lappl1, I realized, I mixed it so well!
The idea was to roll the roulettes, but somehow it did not impress me, then I decided through a meat grinder, but ... after the freezer it did not work, it remained to knead like dough and I liked it!



Here's a view!

Lily, yes, kneading is very convenient and faster than making rolls. Everything is correct, only it seems to me that you did not mix it up. Well-mixed leaves become darker and thinner. Look at the photo in the recipe. A lump should be obtained during kneading, and the leaves should become thin, thin.