Method of hardening tea leaves in preparation for fermentation

Leaves are defrosting now for the second time. Some are already very dark and most are green. Not at all the same as in the photo from Zacharias. Does it depend on the type of leaves? I have apple, pear, cherry, currant and grapes. Is this how it should be or is something wrong with me?

[Evgeniya]

Evgeniya, it should be so. The apple tree and pear immediately darken, but the currants and raspberries hardly darken, the cherry darkens a little ... In general, the reaction to "hardening" is different for all leaves.

Lina, thank you very much! I put them in the freezer for the third time, in the evening I will twist and dry them.

On Sunday, I brought pear leaves, wilted, put them in bags and they remained in the bags overnight in the kitchen, and lay there until the next evening.

good day. tea master, explain this phrase to the "teapot". I am interested in the drying process. Does the author dry in bags or does it dry at first, but dried in a bag?

first dry, and dried in a bag?

Ira you think correctly!

Added Sunday 17 Jul 2016 01:49 PM

Here's Ira from the recipe!

Sunday I brought pear leaves, wilted, put them in bags and they remained in the bags overnight in the kitchen, and lay there until the next evening. I sent packages with leaves to the freezer for the night. In the morning I took out the packages and sent the leaves directly into them for three hours in the sun. Then I left the leaves in bags in the kitchen and there they lay there until the evening, because there was no time for them. Then I put the bags back in the freezer overnight. In the morning I took out and for a couple of hours the leaves in packages were warmed up in the sun. As a result, I got these leaves with a wonderful dark shade. The leaf is 100% dark.
More details: https://Mcooker-enn.tomathouse.com/in...on=com_smf&topic=457680.0

[Irochka]

Irochka, in the bags, drying cannot take place in any way, in the process of drying we rid the leaves of excess moisture, which, as you understand, in the bags cannot happen in any way. And in the packages, in the quote, the already withered leaves were put overnight so as not to dry them out, most likely, if they had not been removed in the bags, they would not have withered, but dried up. It's great that you started doing this interesting thing, my dear.

thank you my dear!

[Mandraik Ludmila]

Mandraik Ludmila, I apologize if I repeat the question, it seems that there was an explanation in the previous post, but still! I am very interested in this moment: "they stayed in bags overnight in the kitchen, and lay there until the evening of the next day." Is this the initial stage of fermentation? And then is it required? Or is it from lack of time and the desire to protect from drying? And then you can skip it and immediately put it in the refrigerator after drying?
I put it in right away, but something tells me that this - "lay there until the next evening" - starts the fermentation process.

Added Saturday 23 Jul 2016 09:05

And yet, I completely forgot: Zacharius has two freezes, some, according to reviews, freeze 3 times. What determines the amount of frost?

they stayed in bags overnight in the kitchen, and lay there until the next evening

This is not necessary, you can put it directly into the freezer, and even better, immediately live in the freezer. It's just that Zakhariya apparently had such circumstances, in this way he avoided over-drying, and there was no time to make tea further - the night was outside, as I understand it.
About the number of frosts, it depends on your decision, during freezing and defrosting, cell rupture and initial fermentation occur, in principle, the more cycles, the stronger the fermentation, up to a certain limit. In principle, you can focus on color, if the leaves have become completely dark, then there are enough cycles. And so, understanding will come with experience. So last year, we had strawberry and apple leaves in the freezer for almost six months, without defrosting, at first there was not enough time, then they forgot about them.when they found it, the result suited me and my husband. Well, this is our family experience and my understanding, if our pioneers correct me.

[Mandraik Ludmila]

Mandraik Ludmila, thanks, answered correctly.
Many of our "experiments", but what can I say, well, almost all! come from the banal: once, I forgot, I don't have time ... if the result is satisfied, they put it here (maybe someone will come in handy!) And only then, the fermentation time, drying time, the number of frosts change, but this is already conscious.
So try, experiment, share.

In the morning, my husband and I started making tea. There were some adventures! The tastier and more elite our tea will turn out!
While I was sleeping, my husband decided to pry, twist and put on fermentation: leaves and stems of mint; leaves of fruit trees. The result is as follows: in a manual meat grinder, when twisting the stalks of mint, a knife broke into 2 parts, a blocking of the motor was activated in the electric, our meat grinders could not stand the stalks ...
My husband was afraid to twist the leaves ...
We decided to dry the stems until completely dry, then I will try to grind what happens.

And I pulled out the mint leaves from the freezer (they were twisted into a sheet), they twisted well, twisted 2 times, then fermented for 1.5 hours, then I dried them until dry in Isidri, now they hang out in a pillowcase on the balcony! The aroma stood during drying such that my husband and I almost fell asleep!

After the mint leaves, I decided to try twisting the leaves of fruit trees, I had a few more bags lying in the freezer from last year and the leaves of this year: cherry, raspberry, cherry, pear, grapes.
Unlike last year, when I twisted just withered leaves and nothing worked out for me (I had to twist the rolls and cut into washers), after freezing the leaves I was able to twist them in an electric meat grinder (only we alternated them, since some are better to twist, others - worse). Twisted twice.
Then I put them in the oven at 100-110 degrees for 30 minutes, now they are being dried in Isidri, all 11 trays are occupied!
In the process of drying in an electric oven, everything was fine, but in a gas oven I sold it and the temperature rose to 150 degrees, dried at that temperature for some time, it seemed to me that in one baking sheet the leaves were slightly fried ... in Isidri? Will they spoil the taste of the tea if I put them in the total mass? There is no obvious burning smell, only it was slightly when I took it out of the oven.

Well, are they dried up in Isidri? Will they spoil the taste of the tea if I put them in the total mass?

Natasha, everything is fine! It is imperative to dry it, then you mix everything together and these, burnt, will give a special taste of caramel and an intense color to the tea leaves. So you made elite tea

[Linochka!]

Linochka! all the teas were well dried (dried up) on the balcony in a pillowcase and today were placed in bottles and in the basement!

I made a garden mix (pear, currant, raspberry and a couple of leaves of everything edible that came across, the smell - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...
Now still in the oven))
The only thing - I didn't want to scroll in my meat grinder, I washed it several times, barely twisted it ...
I think maybe you can knead like Ivan tea leaves? Nobody tried it?

[Vera]

Vera, you can knead, of course. Only ... depending on how much tea you are going to make ... I have my 20 kg for the family and 20 for everyone else, and it is problematic to store in granules

Oh, I can't collect so much with all my desire
I have a modest

I can't collect so much with all my desire

it seems so to you! There is always where to type the leaves

[Radushka]

Radushka, but no! We, here in Siberia, have a lot of Ivan tea, but there are no garden ones, since there are no gardens. No, there are dachas, of course, but raspberries and currants are the ultimate dream! I read how some cherries haut, and I think, eh ... I would. I love her so much, that is, the smell of her. I've never seen it live. Sweet cherries are delivered to us in the spring at low prices, but cherries are not.

[mironirina]

mironirina, I laugh ...I would like your Ivanushka, I would make even more tea! It's both easier to collect and recycle!

Oh ... it's always like this - it's good where we are not
Let's rejoice in what we have

Let's rejoice in what we have

[naturalife]

naturalife, Radushka, of course! With both hands in favor. Only cherries still want. I bought tea with cherries in the store, only there is a flavoring, but the smell is still delicious. Love him.

[Irina]

Irina, well, let someone send cherry tea, who will accept it in the mail! Ask! I have this cherry ... at least eat a booty! Only we do not accept!

[Radushka]

Radushka, thank you, my dear! I'm embarrassed to burden someone!

.

[Tatka1]

Tatka1, what's this?

[Tatka1]

Tatka1, what's this?

Looks like a "point"!

[Linadoc]

Linadoc, Hello. I have a question: you can't dry immediately in El. Dryer? Or you must first go to the oven.

[Olgaso56]

Olgaso56, read the primary recipe "fermented tea from the leaves of garden and wild plants", everything is described in detail, very much. And this is just a method of preparing leaves for fermentation. Roasting in the oven significantly improves the taste and color of the tea. An exception, and even then not entirely, is made by aromatic plants. It is better to dry them immediately in a dryer. Even so, I fry 1/4 of the mass to improve color.

Please tell me the bag with leaves must be sealed tightly, without air access at each defrosting?

[Tanuha1482]

Tanuha1482, well, read the recipe- "closed bags!" They don't write about tightness anywhere ...

[Tanuha1482]

Tanuha1482, I get tightness by itself. To save space in the freezer, I fold the foliage, squeeze the air out of the bag and immediately twist the free part from above. It turns out a semblance of vacuum technology, I freeze, defrost in the same state, such cakes

thanks, understood

[Tanuha1482]

Tanuha1482, there should be air access, but so that moisture does not evaporate. I usually wrap all the raw materials in a sheet, and this bag is already in a bag. So I freeze, then without opening or unfolding I thaw in the greenhouse, then I freeze and thaw again, then I freeze, I take out the little bags from the bag, unfold and thaw open a little so that the ice evaporates, then I twist it. But the bag is always just closed, not airtight.

Please tell me the bag with leaves should be hermetically sealed at each defrosting, without air access?

Absolutely not necessary, however you want, it doesn't matter

I tried the method, I liked it very much, I express my deep gratitude to the author and everyone who helped with advice and answers to a million questions

[Tanuha1482]

Tanuha1482, So that's great! We have not doubted it for a long time. Great result always! We are glad that everything worked out right away

I read it, I seemed to understand everything. But tell me please, if I don't have the opportunity to put the leaves in the freezer (I have an old refrigerator with a small freezer in my dacha), just put them in the refrigerator twisted in a thick cloth - it won't work, right? I just picked up the blackberry leaves again today and I don't want to spoil them again ...

just put them in the refrigerator twisted in a thick cloth - it won't work, right?

It's not gonna go ! It will just stop fermentation and that's it. And in the method, it is the reverse process - the destruction of leaf cells during freezing and starting their fermentation during defrosting. As a result, at the end of hardening, we get an increase in the taste and aroma of almost fermented leaves without their mechanical destruction.

Thank you. Okay, there's no way out. The night will lie, dried in a room in a twisted state, in a dense cloth in a bowl. In 12-15 hours I will twist them through a meat grinder - my husband sharpened knives, I will hope that everything will work out.

Good day to the authors of the topic and all tea-makers! Having read it, having caught fire, I decided to try making tea. Oh and the scent was there. I would eat it with spoons ..I don’t know what happened, I decided to wait a week. Of course, there were questions. After frying in a frying pan, I dried it in the dryer. At what temperature is it better to dry 60 or 40? And the scent became less bright when completely dried. This is normal? A mixture of raspberry and apple leaves in a frying pan crumbled into powder. I did not dare to dry until dark. finished drying on a pallet, but the color was not black ... just dark. what would be the best way to deal with the powder: fry until dark in a pan, or just dry it in a dryer? Thanks to everyone who shares their work and, of course, the authors of the topic! All the teas are delicious and aromatic!

[Hellen]

Hellen, ElenaYou didn't write the percentage of apple to raspberry. If the raspberry is larger than the apple tree, then the powder should have turned out. The color of the dried tea does not affect the color of the infusion in any way. A light raspberry leaf gives a tea-colored tea-colored tea, and a dark cherry leaf gives a very light infusion. When completely dry, the aroma may disappear completely. It is partially returned when "dried" in a pillowcase. And it is finally formed when kept in a storage container. My drier dries all the teas at 70. I just like it that way, because it is emptied faster

[Radushka]

Radushka, thanks for the clarifications.

Here are my teas. brewed cherry (the one that is darker in the jar). the aroma and taste of the brewed tea is the same as in the jar. Delicious. I can imagine how wonderful it will be on a winter evening. :) Thank you all for the tips, descriptions and inspiration

I ask for advice, I reread the topic, I want to try to make tea, I have a problem, I have an old gas oven in my country house, I can't set the temperature there, but 1.5 hours is very long, I will use up all the gas, as an option can I get it in a frying pan? Or maybe just an electric dryer? (my default temperature is 60 degrees)

[Mishel0904]

Mishel0904, Tatyana, fry in a pan (thick bottom, constant stirring, low heat) for five minutes and dry it already in your dryer

Thanks, I will try

[Hellen]

I dried at t65 for a little over an hour. It's good that I looked everything was dry. And the smell is mmmmmmm. Thank you . I stood on the pallets of the dryer overnight and now decided to dry it a little at 45 grams. I also cut the pear into small pieces and dried it and want to mix it with tea.



HellenHow does cherry tea taste?

In its pure form, it seemed to us a bit strong or tart. Diluted with black, another time with a failed one (the one that did not gather in granules). I liked the second option more. For myself, I decided that it was necessary to make a mono cherry and dilute it to the desired taste. The aroma, of course, from the tea is extraordinary. But this was my first experience and first impressions, as usual, go through the roof