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

[Ёlenka]

Good day! Take another novice tea maker to the company.

Ёlenka, Lena, hello! I am very glad that you have joined us.

And the question is: do grapes always smell like grass (broom) or have I done something wrong?

I can’t tell you anything about grapes - I don’t have it. Maybe southerners will come up and answer you. But judging by your place of residence, your grapes are not the same as in the south. It is more intense for southerners. And I tried grapes grown in our conditions. You can't eat without tears. Maybe, knowing which grapes grow in the south (I lived there), I am so picky about the more northern, but this grape seemed not at all tasty to me, although it is ripe. Apparently, tea from it turns out the same.
You can read about the reason for the sauna smell by following the active link on the recipe page in the Notes. Maybe you will find the reason in those posts. Because only you know how you made tea. And you gave us not enough information.

Elena, welcome to us, we are very glad to see you.
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about grapes, it doesn’t grow here, but the girls praise it. Then one of those who did it will write to you.
Lyudochka, again we answer a couple

girls tea began to smell like fish, which is why

[handy]

handy, on the first page of the recipe in the links there is about the smell of fish-look

[Lyudmila, Elena,]

Lyudmila, Elena, thanks for the welcome and quick response!
LudmilaI know what real grapes are (we are fellow countrymen), but local grapes are mainly wine varieties, berries are small and tart, I could not eat them either.
I followed the link, looked

Poor withering can cause herbal odor

perhaps, even though he dried out for almost a day, it was wet.
But nothing, but experience ... next time I'll wither longer.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Lyudochka, I kind of brew, as written in the recipe (2 tsp per glass of boiling water), first pour boiling water over the kettle, put the tea leaves, pour boiling water, put on a "tea hot water bottle", insist for about 10 minutes. I don't dilute boiling water. Apparently, I really don't understand teas at all, but I started drinking them. But my father switched completely to my tea. He is not an expert and not a gourmet, he just loves himself very much and cares (fears for) about his health. He likes it, drinks with pleasure, speaks better than a purchased one. She brewed her daughters (she, however, is also not a tea-man), she did not find a difference with the purchased one, but said that it was delicious, she would drink like that. And when I put in another mint prepared according to your recipe, she said that it was very cool.
So I will get used to my tea, gain experience, the ability to recognize the composition and taste of tea.
Thank you.

Elena, just don't throw out the tea, most likely - it will infuse, after two months try to brew it.

Elena, just do not throw out the tea, most likely - it will infuse, after two months try to brew.

My kulak roots will not allow me to throw anything away, and I will wait.

[Ёlenka]

Ёlenka, Elena, good afternoon! I wish you good tea.
I make tea from several grape varieties at the same time. , but I always freeze the leaves, the tea turns out to be light, like green, it tastes good.

[Alla,]

Alla, thanks for the wish! I feel this case will drag me on, I'll try to freeze it next time.

[Guzel]

GuzelIn general, the verdict is that everything is OK with your tea. It is you who find fault. And dad and daughter tell the truth.If they don't see much of a difference with store-bought tea, this is the highest praise (at least for me). Indeed, most store-bought teas contain flavors, and our tea is fragrant even without them. So wait, everything will get better, you'll see. And you will like it, not just dad and daughter.

perhaps, even though he dried out for almost a day, it was wet.

Ёlenka, I wilted in recent wet weather and more than 2 days. And now she began to wither in the fabric. Nice thing. And it wilts quickly, and you don't have to go up to the leaves to stir them up. Recently added this method to the recipe. If you haven't looked, then take a look. very convenient, and, most importantly, the quality of the granules and processing in a meat grinder are better!

we are fellow countrymen

Oh, how nice that fellow countrywomen! and about kulak roots - this is also about me ...

[Ёlenka]

Ёlenka, sister! I also like to postpone - to hide, maybe it will do!

[Ёlenka]

Ёlenka, I have grape leaves in all my tea. When you take the leaves out of the freezer, they smell so good. From what sort of grapes I do not know, since they were obtained from neighboring abandoned dachas. But in mixes, it seems to me, it fades into the background and emphasizes and enhances the aromas of strawberries and cherries. And it changes color - the tea will be brighter.

[iriska3420, Irina]

iriska3420, Irina, thanks for the advice, I'll try to mix it too.

Girls, tell me, how often should tea be stirred when drying? I understand that everyone's ovens are different, but about ... every 5-10-15 minutes?

[Ёlenka]

and how often should the tea be stirred when drying? I understand that everyone's ovens are different, but about ... every 5-10-15 minutes?

Ёlenka, first I stir the tea after 5 minutes so that it does not get steamed in the oven. And when the "crust" on the granule grasps, I stir in 15 minutes. When I reduce the temperature, then in 10 minutes, since there is a risk of missing the tea's readiness.

[Lyudmila,]

Lyudmila, thank you very much! Raspberries are drying now, smell

And the question is: do grapes always smell like grass (broom) or have I done something wrong?

Good evening!
Grape tea smells like grapes!
The leaves first wilted, then in the freezer and scrolled in a meat grinder. The smell of grapes appears during the scrolling process. Today I brewed 2 liters of grape tea and put it in the refrigerator. For our heat, it turned out to be a very refreshing drink. Tastes like Nesti or Lipton iced tea. Next time I will scroll, add lemon peel, there will be tea with lemon))))

[Natasha]

Grape tea smells like grapes!

Natasha, good evening! I am always delighted with your teas! And from this, including! Gorgeous tea - granules - super! Thanks for the photo and description!

[Natasha,]

Natasha, thanks for the answer and the photo. I will try to make my grapes smell like grapes.

[Ludmila]

Ludmilawe are so happy !! that we can do all this))) what we want)))))

[Natasha]

we are so happy !! that we can do all this))) what we want)))))

Natasha, well said! I subscribe to every word!

[Ёlenka]

Ёlenka,

How often should the tea be stirred when drying?

I stir every 5 minutes. It dries faster, by the way.

All nights, picking leaves according to the recipe of village tea, are dried. Narwhal linden too, but the question is tormenting to add or not, Who did it with a linden tree already? I read about the taste of a separate linden tea, but how is it in the mixture?

Made tea country: leaves of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries (a little), apples, grapes, currants. Everything is dry already, I put it in 3-liter jars for storage.
On the weekend I made tea from grape leaves, the smell is simply indescribable !!!!! Hope it tastes the same.
On Saturday, they picked the leaves of a wild apple tree and some cherries, wilted and put them in the freezer today.

[Natusichka]

Natusichka, well done! Do more! And more! And then no matter how little it is ...

I'm worried ... won't the tea be worse because I cut it not through a meat grinder? ...

Hello girls.
Take another tea lover to your circle. I like to have tea very much, but I drank mostly purchased delicious teas. In summer, I make sure to brew tea with raspberry, currant, cherry, mint leaves, etc. Every year I dry these leaves for the winter, hoping to drink aromatic tea in winter, but no, nothing happens in winter. Even mint doesn't give that taste.
I live not far from Koporye, where Koporsky tea came from. Every year I wanted to try Ivan-tea, but all hands did not reach. Finally this year I decided to do it. I read a bunch of sites, watched a bunch of videos. I made a small test with drying for 12 hours and rolling the rolls with my hands, followed by covering with a wet cloth for fermentation, but nothing came of it. The delicious floral scent never appeared. As I now understood, there were very few raw materials, at the bottom of the Finnish yogurt bucket.
At the same time, I liked the recipe of A. Vyazemsky, where he fills a full plastic bucket and ferments without access to air. I filled a whole bucket (this is a loose bowl), fermented for 24 hours, opened a light fruity smell. She forced her son-in-law to crush everything properly (at lunchtime), covered it with a dry cloth, as he showed ... and then again nothing came of it. When the leaves were crumpled, the smell of hay turned out again and it did not become fruity. Then I loosened it and wrapped it in a blanket (there was nothing to lose). I ran and smelled. Neither after 4-6 hours, nor after a day did I smell apples, smelled like hay. Although the leaves were darkened and looked like tea. By the evening, the smell became less harsh, even slightly pleasant, but it was too late, I did not dry it. And in the morning it smelled unpleasantly of silage and the leaves became sticky. That's how I successfully carried out all the work in the compost pit. As I understood, they started to miss out early, the fruity smell was still faint.
Now I have read about Ivan tea on your website and will try it again. I still want to try whether this tea is such torment or not. Because I tried it in a monastery in Pushgory, but I didn't like it there. Nothing special, apparently it was not cooked that way.
When I read the Internet, I realized that garden scent for winter tea must also be fermented. I typed in the search for "fermentation of currant leaves" and got to your site. I read these two days and after reading, I ran last night, typed a packet full (usual small transparent) of wild raspberry leaves, a packet full of (the same) currant leaves, and a handful of cherry and apple leaves (I didn't have time anymore, it started raining heavily). I put everything in the freezer. In the evening, I attached a handful of small strawberries and a handful of black currants on the grid above the stove (you wrote about it here). And so she left until the morning. And today in the morning I already grabbed an old manual meat grinder and started twisting the leaves (the handles are already itching :-)). By the way, if you add a little of the leaves, it's not particularly difficult. Spun straight frozen. The apple and cherry pellets were good, but there were very few of them. The granules from the raspberries were also normal, but the currants crumbled into powder. I twisted the grafted berries there too. Then, as you wrote, I twisted the second time, mixing everything, but the granules were loose. And she decided to twist the third time, even "worms" crawled (maybe in vain she twisted it again?). Slightly crushed, covered with wet gauze and covered with a plate, leaving a gap. The apartment is 21 degrees. Now I wait 6-8 hours. I'm nervous about what happens.

[Irina]

Irina, welcome to the large family of tea makers.
Have the leaves withered before freezing?

Hello again Yesterday I gathered linden leaves and flowers, I have two trees growing. The leaves have dried up overnight in the bath, now I sent them to freeze, in the evening I will twirl the granules. Although I live in the north, I have an oak and a maple. And there is also Potentilla, or Kuril tea, or five-leafed leaf, or dazifora - that is how many names this shrub has. It blooms all summer with small white flowers. Despite the prefix in the title - tea, you have not a word about it in your article. Don't make tea out of it?

I'm worried ... won't the tea be worse because I cut it not through a meat grinder? ...

It will not be worse, the color of the tea leaves will be lighter than that of the granulated one.

[Alla]

Alla, no, did not fade. Like, I read that the girls immediately put them in the freezer. Or was I wrong? I'm going to read it again now. Now what? Will fermentation go wrong?

Girls and where to read what to do with mint, echinacea. thyme

[orange]

and where to read what to do with mint, echinacea. thyme

orange, in the recipe - plant group No. 3 (with aroma due to essential oils). And in the notes - about medicinal herbs. And at the beginning of the recipe - about the principles of choosing plants for tea. Echinacea and thyme do not fall under them.

no, did not fade. Like, I read that the girls immediately put them in the freezer. Or was I wrong? I'm going to read it again now. Now what? Will fermentation go wrong?

Irina-gap, Irina, welcome to our tea themes! we are glad to see you!
Please read the recipe. The leaves must be wilted. Excess moisture in the leaves interferes with proper fermentation. More excerpts from the book about tea can be read by following the links that are on the recipe page in the Notes. It is very clearly written there why it is necessary to dry the leaves.

At the same time, I liked the recipe of A. Vyazemsky, where he fills a full plastic bucket and ferments without access to air.

Irina, we did that too and called this method the "sweating method". You can read at the end of the recipe from this method in the links. Scientifically, this method is called double fermentation. Many people did not like this method. Me, including. But there are connoisseurs of this method. So it's a matter of taste.

When I read the Internet, I realized that garden scent for tea for the winter must also be fermented. I typed in the search for "fermentation of currant leaves" and got to your site. I read these two days and after reading, I ran last night, typed a packet full (ordinary small transparent) of wild raspberry leaves, a packet full of (the same) currant leaves, and a handful of cherry and apple leaves (I didn't have time anymore, it rained heavily). I put everything in the freezer. In the evening, I attached a handful of small strawberries and a handful of black currants on a grid above the stove (you wrote about it here). And so she left until the morning. And today in the morning I already grabbed an old manual meat grinder and started twisting the leaves (the handles are already itching :-)). By the way, if you add a little of the leaves, it's not particularly difficult. Spun straight frozen. The apple and cherry pellets were good, but there were very few of them. The granules from the raspberries were also normal, but the currants crumbled into powder. I twisted the grafted berries there too. Then, as you wrote, I twisted the second time, mixing everything, but the granules were loose. And she decided to twist the third time, even "worms" crawled (maybe in vain she twisted it again?). Slightly crushed, covered with wet gauze and covered with a plate, leaving a gap. The apartment is 21 degrees. Now I wait 6-8 hours. I'm nervous about what happens.

Irina, there is nothing wrong with the fact that you twisted 3 times. but what cool worms turned out. But in the recipe I wrote about raspberries and currants, that they are very crumbly, so they need to be put into tea no more than 50%, then the granules will turn out to be strong even with one twisting. Don't worry, everything will work out for you.
Irina, advice can I? Read nothing but the recipe now. And make tea strictly according to it. Everything will work out. And Ivan tea, and garden scent. And then I will experiment when the tea turns out. So you missed a few important points in your tea - for example, withering, twisting currants and raspberries (and it is better to make them leafy or granulated in mixes, but not more than 50%) ... And a violation even at one stage can give a tasteless tea. Take your time, read the recipe carefully. Then start doing. When you start the first step, read the first step in the recipe. Do it. Then - the second ... And so gradually. Then everything will be clearly lined up in the head.

[natalisorel]

Yesterday I collected linden leaves and flowers, I have two trees growing. The leaves have dried up overnight in the bath, now I sent them to freeze, in the evening I will twirl the granules. Although I live in the north, I have an oak and a maple.

natalisorelNatasha, have you familiarized yourself with the principles of choosing plants for tea in the recipe? Linden, oak and maple do not fall under them. I tried to make tea from linden and maple. And the recipe says about it! IT'S NOT TASTY!!!!! It smells like bath brooms. It is better to dry the linden flowers separately, and do not bother with the leaves. Completed stage. And not by me alone.

And then there is Potentilla, or Kuril tea, or five-leafed leaves, or dazifora - that is how many names this shrub has. It blooms all summer with small white flowers. Despite the prefix in the title - tea, you have not a word about it in your article. Don't make tea out of it?

natalisorelNatasha, my article has grown to an indecent size. When I laid out the recipes, I described in them tea from those plants, from which made tea personally... From what I did not do myself, I did not write in the recipe. And the experience of other tea makers is described in the comments and links are given to them. I have 2 Kuril tea bushes growing. And I know that it makes excellent tea. But since the bushes are very tiny, I haven't cut them off yet. Other tea makers made this tea, but there are 1 or 2 people. And I don't remember any reviews. Otherwise, I would definitely make references to their experience. I have to ask you. Please make this tea, tell us about it, take a picture, and I will definitely make links to your post.

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, thanks for taking the time to correct us newbies. When there is a lot of information at once, something gets confused.
I read that raspberries and currants are crumbling, but I also read that after the second twisting, it seems normal. I wanted to try the meat grinder. Now I will roll currants only after freezing. And as for wilting, I read from you: "In general, I wither the leaves only for" meat grinder "tea. And for leaf tea, I don't wither, since I roll rolls of frozen leaves - it turns out very quickly and easily."
In general, everything was confused in my head.
I will follow your advice.
And from these worms nothing good will come of me already? Too much liquid and fermentation won't work?

[Irina]

Irina, don't throw anything away. Better to make tea, then there will be something to compare with. When twisting, I had very wet grapes, it took longer to dry. From 1800 it turned out 400gr.

Girls, I went to pick raspberries, strawberries and fireweed in the forest. In the garden - currants, strawberries, plums, cherries, apple trees, gooseberries, blackberries. I want to try fireweed, currants and raspberries - mono, and the rest is all in the mix (through a meat grinder).
I correctly understood that I can immediately freeze currants and raspberries and then roll them, cut sausages and ferment?
And I wither until the morning all the rest. In the morning through a meat grinder and fermentation. Or is it better to freeze them too? I don't want to screw it up again.
I wanted to pick blackberry leaves, but they are prickly. I didn't.

Irina, everything needs to be dried! And only then twist the fireweed, and the rest in the freezer. Although last year I did not freeze anything at the dacha, I wilted and twisted everything, and then, somewhere in October, I froze raspberry leaves (they were already frozen), but for some reason it turned out to be rotten. And not to wither "until morning", but when it really does wither (the central vein does not crunch, the leaves collected in a ball do not crumble.)

They cut off a part of the apricot, cut the leaves, it turned out 1640g, so I didn't want to wash it. but the hands are dirty, so there is more work to be done.

[Elena]

Elena, already what time I collect and dry an apple tree. And garden and wild. The center vein does not crunch even immediately after harvest. Maybe because it's hot? It rains regularly.

On the second page of this topic, Lyudmila wrote:

I wither them before the meat grinder. But if I make leaf tea, then I first freeze the leaves (without withering), then twist, ferment, cut, dry.
The withering process is needed to make it easier to roll the leaves by hand. Fresh leaves are difficult to curl.
And when the leaves are twisted in a meat grinder, a wet mass is obtained. If the leaves are not wilted, then the granules will squish during fermentation in juice. And then tea in the oven will dry longer ...
In general, I wither the leaves only for "meat grinder" tea. And for the leaf, I do not wither, since I twist rolls from frozen leaves - it turns out very quickly and easily.

[Irina]

And as for wilting, I read from you: "In general, I wither the leaves only for" meat grinder "tea. And for leaf tea, I don't wither, since I roll rolls of frozen leaves - it turns out very quickly and easily."

Irina, Lena has already answered you about withering. And I also answered today that you need to wither everything... Read the recipe. This year I edited it and removed the harmful information that leaves for leaf tea should not be dried, but only frozen. And what was written in the comments last year is not yet a fully developed technology. Since that time, a lot of theory about the production of tea has been studied, a lot of work has been done on its preparation, and not only by me, but by all tea-makers. and on the basis of this knowledge and experience, we have come to a consensus that it is NEEDED TO STAY ALWAYS AND EVERYTHING. And that's why I wrote to you today - read the recipe! Its new edition is the most verified. And don't read anything yet - just the recipe. Everything is there.

I correctly understood that I can immediately freeze currants and raspberries and then roll them, cut sausages and ferment?

Irina, no, not right! first wither, then freeze, and then do at least something - even leaf, even granular. But granulated raspberries and currants will crumble, so mix them with other plants, but so that they are no more than 50% in the tea. Then the granules will be strong.

[Irina-gap]

On the second page of this topic, Lyudmila wrote:

Irina-gap, Irina, just answered you and answered earlier - READ THE RECIPE! It was corrected according to the results of the last year and the emergence of new knowledge. What is written on the second page is last year's experience. Tea turned out, but with withering it turns out much better... The one who does nothing is not mistaken. I cannot call my past experience a mistake. I was looking ... And I found the best option, supported by theory. Read about wilting in the recipe and in the tea book in the links. And you will understand why you need to dry everything.

Thanks, understood. I will wither everything.

Girls and boys, do you want me to make you laugh? So here a friend came to visit me for tea. We drank tea with her with mint jam - I praised both of them endlessly. Of course, I poured her tea into a jar (now I don’t remember which one) so that my husband would try. Several days have passed, she calls me and speaks. that her husband did not get tea, since she just grunted it (that is, just ate it) the next day! Isn't it an indicator that our tea is delicious!

[Melissa2]

how she just grunted it (i.e., just ate it) the very next day! Isn't it an indicator that our tea is delicious!

Melissa2, Zina, literally ate An interesting twist!

Here I re-read the advice of old herbalists - everywhere it is written that you need to collect raw materials during the flowering period, that is, until about 7, max. July 15, then the biochemical composition changes in a direction that is not useful for consumption. Roots - yes, either in early spring, or closer to autumn.
How for tea? Stop collecting raw materials or what?

[Valkyr]

Valkyr, Maria, we are not harvesting medicinal raw materials, but preparing tea for a delicious drink. The recipe says from which (by the time of collection) raw materials are obtained this or that tea. By the time the fruits ripen, taste and aroma components accumulate in the leaves. For me personally, both late summer and autumn tea are very good. like.

[Lyudmila,]

Lyudmila, but tasty is not necessarily healthy.For example, sorrel and rhubarb are completely edible until mid-June, and then they accumulate harmful acids.
In addition, the leaves become tough after mid-July. It was not for nothing that the peasants organized hayfields in June.

[Maria]

but tasty is not necessarily healthy. For example, sorrel and rhubarb are completely edible until mid-June, and then they accumulate harmful acids.

MariaFirstly, I did not recommend making tea from sorrel and rhubarb. They do not fit the principles of choosing tea plants.
Secondly, can you name the plants listed in the recipe that accumulate harmful substances? There are no such. I studied this question before posting the recipe.
Thirdly, I do not agree that in the case of tea, tasty is harmful ... I mean only those plants that I placed in the recipe.
Fourthly, in the book about tea (the link is on the recipe page) it is written from the leaves of which collection time what tea is obtained. It turns out to be different. But not a word is said about harm.
Fifth, if you want to squeeze the full benefits of plants, then harvest the raw materials as recommended by herbalists. By the way, I also warned about this in the recipe. Each person decides for himself when, how, from what and for what to harvest the plants. If you approach this issue in principle, then adhere to the time frames recommended by herbalists. But then you will have to drink an infusion that is weak in all respects, and not tea ...
And sixth! We have specialists in the tea company - pharmacist and doctorwho follow the topic DAILY FOR A YEAR, answer the tea-makers' questions regarding the benefits and harms of plants. They themselves prepare tea in large quantities, know everything about the benefits or dangers of this or that plant, and very vigilantly react to the attempts of some tea-makers to prepare tea from really harmful plants ...

In addition, the leaves become tough after mid-July. It was not for nothing that the peasants organized hayfields in June.

Become. For this, I advised to use freezing, which greatly facilitates the process of processing the leaves. I also wrote about this in the recipe. And more ... We don't eat dry leaves like animal hay. We process them and then brew tea from them.
Maria, I warned about all the points to which you indicated, in the recipe. Have you seen this? If not, please read the recipe. If so, what are the claims? Well, do not prepare tea now, but leave this occupation until next year .... Once again I will write that we are preparing a delicious drink. And he, in fact, turns out to be tastier after the middle of summer. And even at the moment of falling leaves ... Checked. And not by me alone.