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

[Mila1]

Girls, tell me how you dry flowers, please.

Mila1, Luda, we don't dry flowers, but their petals. They look very good, but the flowers - yes, they can lose their shape. And also to convey a very strong smell and taste to tea (all the smell is concentrated in the cup). And we dry the PETALS in the dryer - as written in the recipe.

Tell me please, I picked some cherry leaves during the day and washed them. They are correspondingly wet. I want to do it according to the Zacharias method by freezing and thawing, is it necessary to wither them? Is it necessary that they dry out from moisture and only then in the freezer?

IrinaSakura, the girls have already answered you, I will add on my own. If you really want to wash the leaves, then they must be dried before withering. You can do this in a cloth - it will dry faster. But you cannot put wet, and even not withered in the freezer. The recipe says that for high-quality fermentation, you need to remove moisture from the leaves up to 60%. And you not only did not remove, without wilting the leaves, but also added something extra. So fermentation can go wrong at all. Also, the leaves will crumble when twisted from excess moisture.

Oh, how I want to do everything right and tasty, but no one believes in my idea ...

IrinaSakura, Ira, everything will work out if you strictly follow the recipe. And you have already sucked from him. But nothing, this is not your last tea. The main thing is to read the recipe. Practice is impossible without theory. Good luck to you!

did not understand what to wither. The recipe says that he kept Zakhari in the bag for almost a day.

IrinaSakura, Ira, in the recipe Zakhar described his method, but this recipe is the basis. By the way, in the comments in his method it was discussed whether to wither or not. Need to! Always!
I'll add this moment tomorrow to Zakhar's recipe.

Can then put it in a box

Mila1, Lyudochka, it is best to store the petals in paper bags.

[IrinaSakura]

took it out in the evening and washed it.

IrinaSakura, Irina, it was necessary to wash immediately and dry. Zakhari kept a dry leaf in the bag, that is, it dried. Then freezing, defrosting and further according to the recipe.
1 - Collecting leaves
2 - Withering leaves (necessarily)
3 - Freezing (First, frost all night, and in the morning you will be engaged in defrosting and freezing. Defrost for 3-4 hours, again freeze for 3-4 hours, again defrost for 2-3 hours)
4 - Fermentation of leaves
5 - Drying tea
6 - Tea storage

Thanks for answers! As I understand it, it is better to throw the sheet away. (

Added Saturday 04 Jun 2016 11:05 PM

I’m wondering, what do you do if you have collected the leaves, but there’s no time to study? After all, wilting also requires attention, but physically there is no time, for example, you need to leave. How to proceed? Where to store leaves for a day for example (not a couple of hours, that is)

[lappl1]

but what do you do if you have collected the leaves, but you have no time to study? After all, wilting also requires attention, but physically there is no time, for example, you need to leave. How to proceed? Where to store the leaves for a day for example (not a couple of hours, that is)

Ira, I then wrap it tightly in a sheet, then in a terry towel in a bag and tie the bag. Somehow I get out of the situation

Added Saturday 04 Jun 2016 11:14 pm

lappl1, Lyudochka, thanks

[IrinaSakura]

As I understand it, it is better to throw the sheet away. (

IrinaSakura, nothing needs to be thrown away. Have you wrapped them in sheets? Let them lie down until the morning - dry up and partially wither. If it doesn't wither enough, put it in a dry sheet and let it rest again.And then put it in bags and send it to the freezer. Further - according to the scheme.

I’m wondering, what do you do if you have collected the leaves, but there’s no time to study? After all, wilting also requires attention, but physically there is no time, for example, you need to leave. How to proceed? Where to store the leaves for a day for example (not a couple of hours, that is)

Irina, I don't make tea, if I don't have time - I plan everything in advance. Well, if this still happened, then you can do as Luda wrote to you. Not the best option, but still the way out. But again, it's better to plan.

you never know what sprayed

Irina! If there is even the slightest suspicion that the leaves have been treated with something, throw them out! AND NEVER, I REPEAT AGAIN, NEVER use dubious raw materials for tea! No amount of your washing will wash away modern chemistry. And tea from such raw materials, instead of pleasure and benefit, can bring significant harm to your health!

Thank you for answering questions and helping to start mastering such an exciting business !!!! I'll wash away all the mistakes and gradually everything will work out))

[IrinaSakura]

IrinaSakura, Ira, we are with you! You will succeed, do not even hesitate!

You will succeed, do not even doubt

Kremlin agents are working. It can't fail. Checked on myself

[Light]

Light,

[Light]

Light,

Lyudmila,

[IrinaSakura]

Kremlin agents work

Why only the Kremlin?

IrinaSakura, Irina, will definitely work out! You never know what you can do till you try!
I only dry in sheets, towels, tablecloths. Now our humidity is high, it is dry for two days. Change sheets three times. But, if it gets hot, then I will also begin to dry in the sheets. but, look for coolness so that fermentation does not start.
I know that my tiny oven doesn't allow you to dry a lot at once. I have already calculated that I will dry one batch (approximately 1 kg 300 g of leaves - 500-600 g of finished tea) for 5-6 hours. Therefore, I start drying at 16-17 o'clock to finish before bed. I do not do anything else that requires close attention at this time, because you have to stir the tea every 5-10 minutes. You can make a slightly smaller batch, of course. But, it happened so ...
From the beginning of drying, I calculate the twisting time (start of fermentation). Let's say she twisted it at 7 am. This means that at 17 o'clock it will already be 10 o'clock for the first baking sheet and 14 for the last one. Somewhere like this ...
Good luck! Do not give up and you will succeed!

[Radushka]

Why only the Kremlin?

Radushka, so the chip fell

[Light]

Light, and they say the agents of the State Department help me

[Radushka]

State Department agents help

Radushka, well, well, well Let them help

After reading, I tried to create tea from cherry leaves. Narwhal of the young. Dried in the apartment, 7 hours. Volume - half a package. Degree of withering - the lump did not expand during compression. I put it in the freezer for 8 hours. Got it, lay down for an hour. It's dry at home, it's hot outside. Twisted in a meat grinder. The layer in the dish was 5 centimeters. I covered it with a damp cloth. After 4 hours, the cherry aroma went. Since I am making tea for the first time, I decided to wait. The smell began to subside. But it is written that 6-8 hours. In short, I somehow waited 6 hours and threw it into the oven to dry. Dried at 80 degrees with the door ajar. The smell was pleasant, so delicate. As soon as the tea dried, I brewed it faster. Bnny broom with bitterness!
Think that
- re-fermented,
- insufficient amount for full fermentation,
- maybe the variety is not suitable, Siberia is still

[Nat]

Nat, NatashaWell, the layer is sufficient, if, indeed, 5 cm. It was possible to dry without waiting 6 hours. The girls were already drying after 3 hours. The bitterness is most likely due to the cherry variety. And the bath broom ... When drying, how thick was the layer? Should be no more than 1 cm.
And more ... Start drying at least 100 degrees. To stop fermentation. Not for long. 5-10 minutes. Then it is already possible and 80. 80 and a slightly open door - obviously, it was less than 80.
Hang in a pillowcase in a dry, ventilated place for dry fermentation for a couple of days.Then pour it into an airtight container, put it in a dark cabinet and "forget" about it for a couple of months at least. Better yet, for six months. Then try it!

The layer was thin. The parchment was shining in places. Now in a pillowcase. I will try further! here everything comes with experience. And with good advice!

Added Sunday 05 Jun 2016 3:53 pm

And the bitterness may be due to the resin, as I nibbled the tops of the young shoots.

[Nat]

NatNatasha, I live even to the north of you and I have a small cherry (and a neighbor's too!), But for tea I shore my own and neighbor's as the apple of my eye!
Dry - Really Thin Layer! Fermentation is not necessarily so much time, by the way, they don't write anywhere, how much, they caught the smell you like, and dry it! And fresh tea will never be as tasty as later!
Take it away ... don't suffer! Cherry will take its toll, but not immediately.
Svetik, well done! Lessons learned at "five"! Test!

And another question, when I took it out of the freezer, some of the leaves darkened, and some remained green. Maybe she didn't wither enough. But the lump did not expand upon compression.

Well, the cherry itself is soft, especially the young leaves, maybe not enough dried. But don't worry, just reread the recipe so you don't miss anything.
And the cherry is good! Let it ripen.
Were the granules strong?

Not very strong.

Today I heard about the hay smell of tea in the program on First. The host of the program was given expensive varieties of Chinese tea, which are very beneficial to health. It has been said to help lower sugar and cholesterol.
The host said that with the thought of its usefulness, you can drink tea, but it smells like hay.
So maybe we have the healthiest teas

behold

Added Sunday 05 Jun 2016 04:23 PM

I'm not going to give up! Next in line is Ivan tea. And there are plenty of cherries in the garden!

[Natasha]

Natasha, great tea turned out. Well done!

Thank you! I thought everything was lost!

[elena kadiewa]

Svetik, well done! Lessons learned at "five"! Test!

elena kadiewa,

[Nat]

Nat, with the first tea you! And welcome to tea topics.
In general, the girls wrote everything to you correctly. I brought here a quote from the recipe so that it was clear where the process did not go according to the script.

How long fermentation will take, you cannot say for sure - it depends on the temperature. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process. Too high temperature and overexposure are dangerous - tea acquires the smell of low-grade tea. The optimum temperature for the fermentation process is between 22 and 26 ° C. Above 30 ° C, part of the soluble fermentation products that give strength and "body" to the infusion becomes insoluble, while the pleasant aroma of tea is also lost.
Fermentation of leaves of garden plants spend an average of 6-8 hours, depending on the temperature. The smell of the mass during fermentation does not change dramatically (like that of willow tea), it just intensifies and acquires interesting notes - each plant has its own. It is important to "catch" the strongest smell (with experience this will be easy). This moment will be the signal for the end of fermentation. As the fermentation continues, the odor will subside and the tea may result in a weaker aroma. It is important not to overexpose the leaves during fermentation so as not to lose this aroma.[/ b].

Since your place is hot, the fermentation should be shorter. After 4 hours it was apparently ready. And if your house is above 30 *, then you need to find a cooler place - on the floor at least. And, of course, the drying temperature for cherries is low. This is good for currants, but not cherries. It would be necessary to fry for 150 * at the beginning of drying for 20 minutes. Then the juice would be sealed inside and all tastes and aromas would remain in place.

And another question, when I took it out of the freezer, some of the leaves darkened, and some remained green. Maybe she didn't wither enough. But the lump did not expand upon compression.

This is normal. They just froze a little. Those that darkened managed to collapse during freezing, but the green ones did not. You can hold it longer.And faded normally, do not worry.

I'm not going to give up! Next in line is Ivan-tea. And there are plenty of cherries in the garden!

Nat, great tea looking. If the granules crumble, try turning the mass twice in a meat grinder - they will be stronger.
What kind of cherry do you have? Fragrant fresh leaves? Do they smell strong when crumpled in your hand?

Thank you! I thought everything was lost!

This is just the beginning. So don't worry. Move your tea away and in a darker place. Just close tightly. You will see that by autumn it will be a completely different tea ...

So maybe we have the healthiest teas

francevna, Allochka, of course, are the most useful ...

DEAR! please tell me how many kg of leaves per day (with normal breaks for eating and some distraction) you collect in 1 day ..... I got 3.85kg (raspberries 1kg from the site and the rest of apple trees of different types 7-8pcs) ... ...

I collected them in bags and tied them up on the upper kitchen cabinet, and when they got home, I climbed into a chair behind them and it broke, I fell clearly to the 5th point, I didn't even touch the floor, well, a couple of large bruises-tumors on my legs, which fell on a broken chair ..... the same evening went to the injury, sent to prepare and come in the morning, the x-ray showed a fracture of the tailbone, because now, apart from standing work, collecting leaves, I can't DO NOT STAND on any chairs with metal ... legs, benches, and so on, as far as I know now, not by hearsay of such cases

[NataliARH]

NataliARH, Natasha I sympathize So I'm afraid all the time to fall out of the chair A pregnant woman (she was already on maternity leave) was falling from a chair, I know what it is

Added Monday, 06 Jun 2016 03:42 PM

I usually collect 3 large T-shirts bags in 2 hours, packed tightly

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, yes ... so pregnant at all

I hope there were no consequences? When I went with the second one already in the last months ... my daughter climbed into the playground, there is such a staircase in the air and her feet slipped and she managed to grab onto the handrails while falling, seeing this, I rushed to her with all the dope, took off her, had time! but immediately could not even take a step! stood still for an hour, then with Lilliputian steps (as in a child's game, to the floor) we went home, so many thoughts flew in my head during all this time

3 large bags is about 1kg .... then I am a brake, over time I can accelerate

[NataliARH]

DEAR! please tell me how many kg of leaves per day (with normal breaks for eating and some distraction) you collect in 1 day ..... I got 3.85kg (raspberries 1kg from the site and the rest of apple trees of different types 7-8pcs) ... ...

NataliARH, Natasha, my God! I really, really sympathize with you! Yes, you will remember your first tea for a long time! Well, get well soon!
I always try to collect no more than 2 kg. Gardening - less. I was always stopped by the size of my oven. 1 kg is the optimal batch that can be dried in one go. And 2 kg - respectively 2, or even 3 receptions. But I have leaves within walking distance. For those who live far from the leaves - a freezer to help. But I collect it in one go, and do not stretch this pleasure for the whole day. Your almost 4 kg you have is 12 hours of drying. However, given the size of my oven. Can you take that long? I'm afraid the process of collecting and drying will give you the desire to make tea.

[NataliARH]

NataliARH, you can collect a lot, but you can recycle it manually ..

[NataliARH]

NataliARH, Natasha, I sympathize!
I don't collect that much! But, I can collect almost every day if there is no rain. Raspberries grow near the house. strawberries too. And the number of leaves is limited by the volume of freezers. Well, I can make tea only 3 times a week for my usual batch of 1.3 kg of leaves. This means that I cannot harvest more than 5 kg per week yet. You shouldn't collect more than you can process without a lot of stress.
RECOVER and take care of yourself!

Girls, thanks for your support!
I was thinking about partial processing, i.e.bring everything to the last stage of fermentation, and then ferment and dry some of it, while the rest are in the freezer - they do not interfere, so it will take me 3 days of drying, okay, I'll be ready! And then I imagined it differently! My oven is of a regular size, built-in. Today, even too lazy to pull out for warming due to injury, I packed them all into 1 drawer of the freezer.

[NataliARH]

NataliARH, Natasha, I don’t have a summer residence, so I collect it as a case where it will be available So I collect a lot Immediately wither everything And then it’s tight in bags and into the freezer. Right now in the freezer (alternating ice-cream-thawing) from 3 kg apple-raspberry-cherry all the leaves fit into 3 ordinary plastic bags (20x30 which), and incomplete And it was originally 4 full, tightly packed bags, though this time not T-shirts, but just bags with handles.

[NataliARH]

NataliARHNatasha, now you need to think about your health. Let the leaves freeze if there is room for them. Dry tea in small batches.

[NataliARH, Natasha]

NataliARH, Natasha, good teas and a speedy recovery

[NataliARH]

NataliARH, Natasha, my heart skipped a beat from your story
Get well as soon as possible

Today I dried whole leaf tea from pear leaves collected on May 1st. Prepared by the method of hardening according to Zachariah. Dry quickly. Now they hang in a pillowcase. I will not cook more whole leaf. It takes up a lot of space. Just ... A LOT!
I could not resist - I brewed it. Delicate baked pear taste. Color, as usual, a bomb! Hopefully the taste-aroma will get better over time. In any case, I will not interfere with anything. I will buy dried apple flowers for beauty, unless

[only as a last resort]

It takes up a lot of space. Just ... A LOT!

So it took me a lot last year compared to the meat grinder So I decided for myself "only as a last resort"

[Mila1]

Mila1, Ludmila, I really didn’t want to twist the tender little leaves.

[Radushka]

Radushka, so I, for the same reasons, last year made pity ruined me

Good evening! And tell me, please, the leaves have withered, lie in the freezer in the morning. After the freezer, thaw and you can start the meat grinder, or do you need several freezing / defrosting cycles according to the Zacharias method?

[IrinaSakura]

IrinaSakura, it depends on which method you choose. If it is described in this recipe, then immediately after defrosting, twist it in a meat grinder, if using the Zacharias method, then according to the algorithm described in his recipe. The choice is yours.

Girls, drying coniferous tea the third hour
Because they picked the branches in the rain, because I washed them, because ... because ...
What to do then?
I'm afraid that nothing useful will remain

[Seberia]

Seberia, Len, I also dried it for a long time it does not dry out quickly

And I already want to sleep
I'll wait another hour and turn off the oven, leave it until morning. Come what may

[Seberia]

Seberia, can you put it in a thick layer?

[Mila1]

Mila1, first, yeah, thick. I hoped it would dry out. Then I realized that this was how I would be kolupatsya until morning - I divided it into two baking sheets.
The next step is to turn on convection in the oven
Now I jump every 20 minutes to her, stir up seagulls