Fermented tea made from leaves of garden and wild plants (master class)

So try dropping the leaves until the center vein of the leaf doesn't crunch. Another test that the leaves have wilted correctly - when squeezing a handful of leaves and after unclenching the palm, they do not crumble, but remain lumpy in the hand.

Thank you!

[GenyaF]

from day to day I am going to do raspberry tea - the leaves are already big. Then in the middle of summer and at the end I will make raspberry tea, compare the tastes.

GenyaF, I like both. But the later one is much richer. But spring is very delicate and with a stronger aroma. Only this can be understood already in winter, when it is infused. Therefore, try it.

Thank you!

Zachary, try it. You will see what a difference!

Zhenya, if you pluck a lot of leaves before setting the buds, you will get a decrease in yield. So don't get carried away!
I also compared tea from leaves of different harvest dates. It seems to me that the most fragrant tea is made from leaves collected either during or immediately after fruiting. The deep autumn leaves are not the same. And I didn't have time to try the spring ones.

if you pluck a lot of leaves before setting the buds, you will get a decrease in yield.

Yes, at that time I also did not pluck (from my raspberries). And the wild ... She doesn't care. We have a lot of it.
I did not make mono tea from raspberries. But in the mixes, raspberries were the base. Very fragrant and tasty tea turned out, including from the autumn, reddened. So you have to try and compare. Although how to try if one raspberry without trash is impossible to twist? But with other leaves - apple, pear, cherry, black chokeberry - it turns well and everything turned out deliciously.

Raspberry mono - very interesting, I like it!

Raspberry mono - very interesting, I like it!

Raspberry is my favorite tea, even more Ivan likes tea

[Galina Iv.]

even more Ivan likes tea

Galina Iv.,

Girls, I noticed this. Since autumn, my tea (apple-persian-apric-pear) - began to be brewed darker and darker. I compare it with half a year ago - and now it is strikingly different!
Even some kind of reddish tint appeared, well, just like "Krasnodar" under the Union.
Et cho, - probably ripe? ...
Everyone is crazy ... and I am amuse my insatiable pride!

[Inusya]

Et cho - probably ripe?

Inusya, aha, ripe! Dry fermentation goes on constantly, no matter how many years have passed. Therefore, they say that the longer the tea is stored, the better it becomes. The main thing is to create conditions for it - tightness, darkness and dryness. And further will surprise even more. Forget somewhere a jar for 2 years, you will be in shock!

and I am amuse my insatiable pride!

You have every right! I am also proud of my teas ... And I rejoice at them like a child. I still haven't played enough.

Veronica, thanks! I'll wait with raspberries then

I was also surprised - I brewed raspberries before (mono tea) and was light, for a long time I did not use it as unpromising and "herbal", recently the youngest began to cough, decided to brew raspberries (fermented) as a base - you must use it somehow) ) So the tea turned out to be rich, dark and very fragrant! I added granulated sugar and the tea turned out to be tasteful of honey))

Tea never ceases to amaze me, I haven’t even voted yet, I’m afraid to miss something

Another interesting thing was tea made in my family - my daughter, 11 years old, now speaks tasteless on purchased tea, but homemade tea likes to guess.And lately he guesses the basis accurately (I sometimes mix, then with the second or third 50 to 50 guesses).

I tried different methods for brewing, most of all I liked to do it like a brew, but with wrapping (probably the same infusion process was on a samovar). Or in some cases, on the smallest fire on the stove using a divider. But the main thing here is not to miss the moment.

[Mary Poppins]

Tea never ceases to amaze me, I haven’t even voted yet, I’m afraid to miss something

Mary Poppins, I think that no matter how much you do it, it will never leave you indifferent. each new tea is a whole product! It happens that you expect something from tea, but it did not work out. And you don't expect anything from the other, but you get a masterpiece. So we still have a lot to learn about what we think we've already learned well.

daughter, 11 years old, now speaks tasteless on purchased tea, but homemade loves to guess. And lately he guesses the basis accurately (I sometimes mix, then with the second or third 50 to 50 guesses).

Well done, girl! So, she raised her assistant. Or maybe a new experimenter. Give her our deepest respect!

[lappl1]

lappl1, I will definitely pass it on! : girl-yes: In the summer, now yes, I will definitely introduce her to tea making. Most importantly, now we will do it with an understanding of the process and with an understanding of the final result

So I began to open strawberries and found that they were full of black leaves fermented during the winter. They were, however, wet. I cut them off and immediately put them in the oven to dry, then dry them in a bag. Have not tried it yet. I'll report back in a week.

Linochka, I haven't touched my strawberries yet. We must also find such leaves and try. Thank you for the idea.

All greetings, my good .. no, precious !!! I had a tea mixture of meadowsweet and black chokeberry. I couldn't drink blackberry, not mine. This mixture had stood since the summer, put it aside too, it was a rare muck. but now I can’t enjoy it, Lyudochka, it’s not the chokeberry that worked like that, the chokeberry isn’t very much and is still waiting in the wings, either for release or for drinking.

Checkmark, wow! And I stuck my meadowsweet somewhere. We must find and try. And don't throw away the blackberry. Mix it with something.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Lyudochka, find, oh-hundred, your meadowsweet, brew it and, of course, sign off. wait wait wait

Girls! Explain to the teapot, my raspberries have grown in the aisles, I will weed them out, the height is now 10-15 cm, like nettle, can you make tea from it or do you need fully ripe leaves?

[Yunna]

Yunna, Natasha, tea can be made from anything, anytime. The girls write that raspberries are tastier in autumn, like strawberries, for example. I did it both in summer and autumn, I did not feel the difference, do it without fail, then compare and unsubscribe here. Raspberries are my favorite).
Right now Lyudochka will come and say for sure, but there is a saying: younger, so more expensive, maybe in this case too.

You can collect tea leaves throughout the season. In spring they are very tender, curl and ferment more easily. The tea turns out to be delicate, with a delicate aroma. In autumn, the leaves are coarse, harder to curl and ferment longer. The rolling process can be facilitated by pre-freezing the leaves. Tea made from autumn leaves is brighter in all characteristics - color, taste and aroma. But it is more difficult to collect quality leaves in the fall - they are damaged by garden pests and diseases.
Natasha, this is what Lyudmila wrote at the very beginning.

Checkmark, well, I'll find and unsubscribe! Wait wait wait ...

Hello
and I have a question - do I need to twist the leaves before twisting in a meat grinder?

[Lily]

Lily, Hello! No, if you twist the leaves in a meat grinder, then you do not need to twist them. But wilting is a must.

I just got the idea of ​​fermenting leaves for tea! The topic is so big that you can't master it.Last year, they grew lemon basil - I really liked the tea made from fresh leaves. This year she sowed different basilicas - mint, caramel, lemon, vanilla. The question is how to keep the flavor? Which processing method is right? And yet, if parsley and dill are fermented in this way, will the greens retain their taste and aroma when added to dishes?

Wait, our doctors will answer you about basil and herbs.

I'm waiting, I have a promo euphoria from this. A feeling that soon some miracle will come true !!!! After reading, I ran into the garden, plucked a leaf of a fragrant currant - and it smells like currant !!!! Amazing nearby, well, I and the kettle, I thought that only berries are fragrant, and the leaves have no use.

The question is how to keep the flavor? Which processing method is right?

For basil, the best is fermentation into tea. Moreover, the taste and aroma will begin to unfold in a month or two. And to dry it - to lose 85% of the aroma.

ferment parsley, dill in this way, will the greens retain their taste and aroma when added to dishes?

In principle, it will retain a little, but it will also acquire a different aroma - a little fruity. All herbs and leaves have a fruity aroma added during fermentation.

That's great! I discovered America for myself. And dry the basil and dill, rub in the palms and dry at 100 degrees?

And dry the basil and dill, rub in the palms and dry at 100 degrees?

Dry everything, then you want to use your fingers, you want to twist it in a meat grinder and ferment for 1-3 hours, then dry it. See this on the first page.

Thank you! It remains to wait for the grass to grow up.

[Mihalovna]

And yet, if parsley and dill are fermented in this way, will the greens retain their taste and aroma when added to dishes?

Mihalovna, Elena, I made dill and parsley. I did not like. They contain essential oils, which are destroyed during fermentation, and, most importantly, during drying. I didn't do basil, but it also has a smell due to essential oils.
In general, to make a delicious tea, the leaves must contain tannins. There are many of them in the leaves of garden plants, but in spicy herbs there are practically none.

Girls, do you think lilac leaves are suitable for fermentation?

[GenyaF]

GenyaFI think that with lilacs you need to be very careful. The leaves of the simplest lilac are medicinal, applied to wounds, to heal and draw out pus. Still, it seems they do tinctures. I would not venture into tea.

[GenyaF]

what do you think - are lilac leaves suitable for fermentation?

GenyaF, firstly, there are no tannins in the lilac leaves that make the drink tea. Secondly, here's what I found:

The flowers contain the glycoside syringin, which cleaves hydrocyanic acid during decomposition. Just 0.1 grams of hydrocyanic acid per cubic meter of air is enough to kill pets or insects.

In the last century, the French chemist Burkelo discovered hydrocyanic acid not only in flowers, but also in lilac leaves: from one kilogram of leaves, you can get 126 milligrams of acid. (In some plants, it is much higher, for example, in the leaves of herbal elderberry - up to 100 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh leaves.)

mind me from this tea (((Thank you girls!

I made dill and parsley. I did not like.

Thanks for the warning. It is a pity that the aroma cannot be preserved for the winter. I will experiment with leaves. I wonder if there are any contraindications to apple flower tea? Otherwise, 7 old apple trees grow on the site and in a good year they cannot be physically processed. And another question about linden blossom, should it not ferment? Tea has a very subtle honey aroma, and if fermented, will the taste / aroma intensify or not?
In general, plant flowers just to dry? Probably there is no point in fermenting them?
Wow, my hands are itching to work with the leaves !!!! And there are more questions than answers. How glad I am to be on this site !!!

Soon, soon the fireweed will turn green)

Virgo, I just recently read somewhere that the leaves of trees are collected at different times for tea. And what stuck in my memory is that the leaves should not be young. That is, it is not in May to run straight and frustrate as soon as they appeared. And about fireweed finally it is written that already in August.
Well, I myself collected fireweed in August, it is no longer turning yellow, but a lot of fluff.
It's all crap right? Well, what have I read? It is possible in June, for example. Or is it still the case, as the plant is gaining usefulness.

Basil, all spicy herbs and all leaves where there are essential oils, please dry at a temperature not exceeding 70 degrees.

[Olga]

Olga, the leaves can be fermented at any age. And the tea will be different. They write that it is not necessary to collect young leaves, most likely due to the fact that if the trees or bushes are fruit and fruits have not yet fully set, then the outflow of nutrients will go to the formation of new leaves. But if the crop has already been formed, even if not ripe, then peeling the leaves, of course, not to bare branches, will not harm anything. If we mean medicinal tea, then yes, the leaves of different plants are harvested at different times. But if we want to get delicious tea, then the approach is different.

[Mihalovna]

I wonder if there are any contraindications to apple flower tea? Otherwise, 7 old apple trees grow on the site and in a good year they cannot be physically processed. And another question about linden blossom, should it not ferment? Tea has a very subtle honey aroma, and if fermented, will the taste / aroma intensify or not?

Mihalovna, ElenaWe ferment not flowers, but leaves. They are unlikely to be fermented. They are too gentle for that. The flowers can be simply dried and added to the tea for aroma and beauty. We did just that.

That is, it is not in May to run straight and frustrate as soon as they appeared. And about fireweed finally it is written that already in August.

Altusya, Olya, May-June fireweed is the most delicious. Verified personally. And the rest of the plants are better mainly in July-August-September. But there are exceptions. For example, currants - in July-August you can hardly collect it. Blackberries are very difficult to process in the fall. It seems to me that the one who wrote what you told us did not delve much into the process. Or he meant unfermented tea.

Or he meant unfermented tea.

Luda, it seems to me, they meant medicinal teas, very similar. And about the fireweed, I don't understand at all, where such advice comes from ...

Veronica, I also think so, the usual herbs and fees. Or people are not at all in the subject ... They just reposted someone's info.

Virgin, thanks for the clarification.
Somewhere deep inside there were deep doubts about the article I had read. But you enlightened me and very soon I will collect fireweed mmmm ...

What a pity that I don't know what fireweed looks like and I don't know whether it grows or not in our area. And there is no herbalist in the vicinity, which would explain, show ...

[Elena]

Elena, in the recipe for Ivan tea, it is quite clearly visible. Look at here:

Ivan tea (fermentation of fireweed leaves)

Well, whether or not you grow fireweed, you can find out from local herbalists (in the market where they sell herbs).

Yes, it can be seen, but from the picture I'm afraid, suddenly I'll pick it up. What herbs I know for sure, I collect. And what I'm not sure about, I buy seeds, grow them and then I know by sight. True, the process is long, to grow. Thanks for the link.

[Elena]

Yes, it can be seen, but from the picture I'm afraid, suddenly I'll pick it up.

Elena, and if you find a plant similar to willow tea, take a picture and show us. We definitely won't be wrong.

Well thank you!

Elena, I have not met Ivan-tea in your area (((And I would have noticed it, because I really love it just like a flower