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

[Oksana]

I am to those who still doubt whether an electric meat grinder is needed

Oksana, I join! I also remember the days with a mechanical meat grinder not as the simplest ...

[Loksa]

Loksa, lappl1, Thank you.
Right now I'm going to twist the withered fireweed through a meat grinder. I'll try some with fireweed, I'll try to twist some by hand. Maybe with a rolling pin. I'll take a look. I really love black currant in tea)

And something is wrong with me, probably it happened with currants ...
I did the same as all other plants - I froze, thawed, twisted the rolls (they didn't spin very well - they crumbled), cut them, sprinkled them with water (otherwise it turned out a little dry), covered, fermented for 10 hours, dried in the oven at 100 degrees, dried in pouch.
The result is a weak aroma (I used to freeze the leaves for the winter and add to the tea, so the smell was straight summer!) And the leaves after drying are green and some kind of translucent ?!
Something went wrong? During fermentation and drying, the aroma was very bright and sooo delicious! I could not stand it - I brewed it right away, the tea was light, somewhat reminiscent of green tea. I thought it would stand in a jar and show itself, 2 weeks have passed (I know that it takes at least a month, but I could not stand it and brewed it) - nothing showed up, it did not intensify ...

[Omela]

Omela, DAK is the meat grinder still the same that was discussed a couple of sheets ago or another? lost the thread of conversation about her, sorry.
Well, today I played the last batch on my hand. as they say everything accumulated for years : ponaroshku: dried up for days and abandoned in the freezer until "better times". And you know girls, a good movement - from the hip - helped out again. Once the handle down 8) then slightly moved the handle to 19-00 if compared with the clock and a slight movement mmmmm two up, then slightly moved the handle to 13-00 and again PPRRaz. Had a lot of fun - I just sweated 20 times - again, exercise for the tail…. I went further, put the fermentation bowl into the washing machine: swoon: and closed the door. The cats will definitely not get there - the people are worried so as not to wind up with the protein, and I am worried that the wool will not fly.
PS I forgot about protein for a long time,: secret: I try to collect pure raw materials like berries and mushrooms, ohNE mushroom this year.
And finally, a photo: this is how I wither with this ponytail!
there is grass near the tail, see?
By the way, this is one of the first tests, then I improved it and began to wrap it up - it didn’t stop them (the cats)….

[froze the leaves]

I am earlier for the winter froze the leaves and added to tea, so the smell was direct summer

Linga, freezing vegetables, fruits and leaves is the best way to preserve almost all the properties of plants, including aromatic ones. During fermentation, due to oxidative processes and the action of anaerobic and lactic acid bacteria, almost all properties of the leaves change - taste, aroma, as well as the composition ... We do not make herbal tea, which can be obtained by drying or freezing the leaves, but fermented tea. Therefore, if you want to get the same taste and aroma in winter as in summer, then the only way out is really to freeze the leaves.

fermented for 10 hours, dried in the oven at 100 degrees, dried in a bag.

Let me remind you that fermented tea can be made with low, medium and strong fermentation. I will quote a part of the Ivan tea recipe on this score:

There are three degrees of tea fermentation - light, medium and deep.
When light fermentation the leaves are fermented until the first signs of a fruity-floral odor (3 - 6 hours). After drying, they remain green. The brewed tea has a light color, mild taste and delicate, but strong aroma.
Tea medium fermentation (10 - 16 hours) is obtained with a pronounced aroma, moderately tart taste with a slight acidity. The color of this tea is rich, reddish brown.
Tea deep fermentation (20 - 36 hours) - tart, without sourness, with a relatively light aroma. The color of this tea is similar to the color of the usual black tea ./ [size]

Thus, to get a strong smell from currant leaf tea, it was necessary to carry out a light fermentation... Currants are practically the only plant in the recipe that must be handled with great care during fermentation. Let me remind you of the conditions under which I fermented and dried currant leaf tea:

I sent the rolls for fermentation. Fermented for 5 hours... The leaf darkened, the smell intensified. I cut the rolls into 0.5 cm thick washers. I sent them to the oven, slightly loosening the mass. The temperature was set to 80 * С.

At the time when I was making tea from currant leaves, the house was 18 *. Now I have 26 * in my house. If I were now making tea from currant leaves, I would reduce the fermentation time to 3 hours to get a strong aroma. Remember what I wrote about the fermentation time? I quote:

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.

You fermented for 10 hours, which is a lot for currants, and even more so in today's heat. In addition, you set the drying temperature to 100 *, and I did not recommend a high temperature for currants - 80 *. This would help preserve the flavor we got from fermentation. It may also be that you have kept the tea in the oven for too long, which has dried out the tea. Overdrying can completely kill the smell of tea. I prefer not to dry the tea in the oven to preserve the smell as much as possible. Therefore, I finish drying it in a bag in natural conditions ...

[Oksana]

DAK is the meat grinder still the same as discussed a couple of sheets ago, or another? lost the thread of conversation about her, sorry.

Oksana, Mistletoe already has a new electric meat grinder. Before that, she, like you, danced from the hip around the mechanical one. And now he encourages everyone to buy electric tea for tea.

that's how I wither with this ponytail!

What a beauty you have this little tail! And plump ... Or are you waiting for kittens?

[Mary Poppins]

I'll try some with fireweed, I'll try to twist some by hand. Maybe with a rolling pin. I'll take a look. I really like black currant in tea)

Mary Poppins, just don't re-ferment the currants. And do not make the temperature high during drying. Well, I just wrote this to Linge.

[Oksana]

there is grass near the tail, see?

Oksana, well, this is "+", fermentation under the blanket))) With an increase in the volume of tea production, I strongly recommend increasing the number of tailings!))

Lyudmila, thanks for the detailed debriefing)
I really missed the fermentation time and drying temperature of the CURRANT. I did it already "on the knurled" - at the same time I made fireweed and also "country" tea, then I fermented 3 containers at once, then dried 3 baking sheets at the same time.
Well, nothing, there are still leaves - we will continue to learn how to make tea)
P.S. No matter how carefully and in detail the theory is studied, all the same, in practice we learn from our mistakes)))

By the way, this is one of the first tests, then I improved it and began to wrap it up - it did not stop them (the cats) ....

that's why I ice everything
dug out of all the sheets (
goats, not cats

fermentation under the blanket)))

Exactly .... If you follow our terminology, then there is a "sweat".

Girls, and I wrote that I added finely chopped dried apples to the apple one, the result pleased - the taste intensified and sourness and fruity taste were added. I also decided to dry the pear separately and, I think, the raspberries. Luda, girls, how do you feel about this idea?

[Linadoc]

Linadoc, You are right, well done! I also made raspberries with berries

[Linadoc]

I also decided to dry the pear separately and, I think, the raspberries. Luda, girls, how do you feel about this idea?

Linadoc, so in the recipe for Ivan-tea I have it in the photo - different berries are added - raspberries, strawberries. I do the same with other tea. I always dry apples. Pear missed last year. And in this it is not. So we can do whatever we want with our tea - add what we like. This year I discovered the snakehead. Already added to different teas! It turns out to be a masterpiece!

This year I discovered the snakehead. Already added to different teas! It turns out to be a masterpiece!

are those neighbors "dogs" with a photo?
Did you ferment it or just dry it?

I have amaranth. I wonder if you can make something out of it? I know that seeds are ground into flour and added to baking. The leaves of my chicks are absorbing immeasurably, then they rush like from a machine gun.

[tsetse fly]

tsetse fly, I have two tails. In the photo, the cat doesn't care, he thinks only of himself - I'm in his service (small fluffy cats are created for love, and big bald cats are me and my husband for work)
But he is a gentleman, and the lady from Begla was probably not inclined to a photo shoot, she is wild or a moron like all women.

But that's not what I really wanted to write about. Yesterday I put a bowl of ground tea covered with a damp towel into the washing machine, and in the morning I looked at the washing machine window, fogged up - well, the process has begun! - like in a greenhouse.
(By the way, washing. My car is clean, I always rinse and dry it after washing) Here's an experience, I'll go fry.
I also dried strawberries and blueberries.

[IvaNova]

are those neighbors "dogs" with a photo?

IvaNova, yes, they are. Oksana-Loksa and I came to the conclusion that this is a snakehead. I did it like mint and lemon balm (in the recipe) - peeled the leaves and flowers from the twigs, wilted it a little, then twisted it in a meat grinder and dried it in a dryer at 30 * for 1 hour. Then I dried it right on open trays from the dryer for a day. I tried to preserve the smell as much as possible. It seems to me that it succeeded. I want to go to my neighbor to ask for a little more. And ferment with some plant. but she comes once a week. I'm afraid until he arrives, everything will dry out.

[Linadoc]

I have amaranth. I wonder if you can make something out of it?

Linadoc, with your ability to make tea from everything that grows, I think you can try. Check how it smells.

Check how it smells.

Lyuda, I checked - it will go. I'll take it from the chicks and try.

[Linadoc]

I also wanted to write, yesterday I brewed the very first tea from an apple tree - it tastes not like tea, but with a pleasant SURGE and smells a little - a baked apple, which will be seasoned on the stove. I miss the fortress.
Linadoc try to cook from nasturtium - I wonder what happens ?? I wanted to try it myself after I read the nasturtium oil, but I will be at the dacha on the weekend: mail1: can't wait

[Oksana]

try to cook from nasturtium

Oksana, I make excellent capers from nasturtium. Since I have a lot of it, I have 4-5 800g cans of capers. I put both leaves and flowers in a salad - delicious and beautiful. But I haven't tried tea. Now I tried the "batch" test - this is not for tea, a very sharp "mustard-caper-rucola" aroma. I don’t think this tea will go with me.

Girls, and I wrote that I added finely chopped dried apples to the apple one, the result was pleasing - the taste intensified and sourness and fruity taste were added.

And I did so.)

[Linadoc]

Linadocthanks for the test. So many capers !!!! I don't have so many nasturtiums ... ..

[Omela]

Omela, And I have no apples-sourness (there are no apples yet) - I brewed an apple with a rustic -and taste !! -and color !!! ...
walked here in the Grand Canyon something smelled so delicious…. I went straight to the smell and the girls Ches the word for our tea.

[Oksana]

I don't have so many nasturtiums

Oksana, I have long (2-3m), planted in 6 tires (2 tires on top of each other, filled with earthen mixture - "flower beds") and hanging baskets and boxes (in the country and in Moscow on the balcony). In general, you can collect a jar from each "bush". But I regularly pick them up in a salad with boiled eggs and cheese or other vegetables, so they reach the state of capers and do not fully survive.

Do you use unblown buds or seed pods for capers? I have not done it yet, only tried flowers and leaves in a salad?
Does your cypress tea taste "strong"? "tart"?
Dried pear strengthens it must be balanced with a plum.

unblown buds or seed pods?

Green seed pods (almost immediately after the flowers fall off). Everything goes into rassolnichki, saline and Olivier basins.
The cypress flavor is not very intense, but I tried it right after drying.
Pears, finely chopped and dried, 1-2 pears per can. So there is nothing special to fix. But I'll think about a plum for plum tea.

[Linadoc]

Linadoc, thanks, I'll try, I only bloom - everything is still in front
dry the cherries, they are still very tasty, you can also black red bird cherry and karinka irga

you can black red bird cherry and karinka-irga

dried bird cherry, did not like the result. They ate Irga like that, there is nothing to dry. And I dried a few cherries for testing.

[Oksana]

I brewed the very first tea from an apple tree - it tastes not like tea, but with a pleasant acidity and smells a little - a baked apple, which will be seasoned on the stove. I miss the fortress.

OksanaHow long have you fermented the apple? Try to ferment longer, maybe it will get stronger. I don't make mono tea now. Wherever possible, I add cherries (quite a bit). Today I tried fresh tea - fireweed (6 parts) + raspberries (3 parts) + cherry (1 part). Such a great tea turned out!

By the way, how long does it take to ferment a leafy apple tree?
I fermented for 12 hours
got a beautiful ocher tea with almost no taste and almost no smell
in the near future I want to put a mix with an apple tree, but put it on for a day
or a lot?

I have the same question about the apple fermentation time. I have it already 9 hours. First I dried it, then wrapped it in a bag and under a blanket, warmed up overnight. Then in the freezer for a day. And now the night is twisted without defrosting. The smell is pleasant.

[IvaNova]

How long does it take to ferment a leafy apple tree?

IvaNova, I ferment the apple tree for 3 - 6 hours - I haven't fermented for longer.

got a beautiful ocher tea with almost no taste and almost no smell

In the recipe, I wrote that the apple tree has a mild, sweet taste. It is almost impossible to get tart tea from it. To do this, tannins are needed in the tea, but they are not in the apple tree. Therefore, it is important for us to preserve the light aroma and delicate taste that the apple tree has initially. And this can be achieved by not too long fermentation and not a high drying temperature. In Reply # 1676 I wrote about currants, why the smell is lost. As a rule, we lose smell and taste when over-fermented and over-dried. It is difficult to re-ferment in 12 hours, but you can easily dry tea. Overdried tea practically loses its taste and aroma. The apple tree dries very quickly, so you can set the drying temperature 70 - 80 *, dry in the oven not to the end, and then dry it in a bag.
Well, if you are a lover of strong teas, then you can mix an apple tree with cherries, fireweed, black chokeberry.

As a rule, we lose smell and taste when over-fermented and over-dried. It is difficult to re-ferment in 12 hours, but you can easily dry tea. Overdried tea practically loses its taste and aroma.The apple tree dries very quickly, so you can set the drying temperature 70 - 80 *, dry in the oven not to the end, and then dry it in a bag.

Thank you!
perhaps the reason is drying - it dried in the oven at 100 degrees with the door ajar, but recently doubts have arisen that the oven is "hotter" than it shows
the apple tree dried up very quickly
I will try the next run either at a lower temperature or in an electric dryer

[Vladimirovna]

I have the same question about the apple fermentation time.

Vladimirovna, just answered!
Girls! Well, there are no tutorials on garden plant leaf fermentation !!! In my third year of making fermented teas, I have more and more questions. I didn't harvest a lot of apple trees. This year I have not made it as an independent tea. So, everything that I know about the apple tree, I have already written - it has a soft, sweet taste and gorgeous color. If you are a fan of tart teas, the apple tree is not your tea.
The astringent taste of any tea is a matter of tannins - tannins. In the leaves of garden plants, these substances are practically absent. Therefore, when making tea from the leaves of garden plants, we try to preserve the natural smell and taste as much as possible by not long fermentation and not intensive drying.

And during the drying process, the issue of storage arose. And you can store tea in a jar tightly "packed". The sliced ​​tea turns out to be very voluminous.

I do not want to offend different plants, but for my taste, I have not yet met anything better than CHERRY! I didn’t vote on the topic, I was waiting - all of a sudden, something more "masterpiece" would meet, but no ... I can add a couple of "washers" of cherries to any tea, and then it immediately becomes "THE BEST TEA"!
(A thought crept in - maybe try to make "Cherry honey" - like "fireweed" only, from leaves ?! or is it better not to translate the products and still dry the tea ....)

More than a month has passed since the beginning of tea production. My first tea was strawberry, I really liked it, so I did not live to mature for a month. The second was the currant with which I was tormented with rolls, then everyone was overcome by doubts about the fermentation time. Since the rolls were twisted very tightly, it seemed to me that the fermentation was weak. As a result, the tea turned out, the smell is not bad, but I was not particularly impressed by the taste, I set it aside. And then a couple of days ago I decided to brew and now I can’t stop, how delicious, delicate it is, well, it’s difficult to describe in words. No wonder they say, you need a month's exposure. So girls who don't like something, put it aside, let it insist. And everyone's tastes are different and change over time. I’m making cherries, I like the smell, now I mix with other leaves, it gives good granules, but I don’t feel like drinking. This summer I dried a lot of berries and ate enough. Yes, plus a lot of juice remained, because compotes and teas were drunk from the diluted juice, because the time for cherry tea has not yet come. In winter, I think it will be just right, for me it is more wintery and it seems precisely in terms of saturation. Here are raspberries, currants, roses - they are somehow lighter, summer. About the rose, I will later write separately how the pictures will be within reach.

[Linga]

but for my taste, I have not yet met anything better than CHERRY! I can add a couple of "washers" of cherries to any tea, and then it immediately becomes "THE BEST TEA"!

Linga, so lately I write in almost every message that you need to add quite a bit of cherries to any tea. And then any tea turns out to be incomparable!

About the rose, I will later write separately how the pictures will be within reach.

I will wait for a report about a rose - which rose and which fermentation / drying modes
very interesting!

[Vladimirovna]

And you can store tea in a jar tightly "packed". The sliced ​​tea turns out to be very voluminous.

Vladimirovna, yes, this is the main disadvantage of cut teas. The best tea in this regard is granulated. Therefore, I mainly cook it.Regarding your question - of course, you can - ram it how it will turn out, although it is rather difficult to ram it.

[IvaNova]

I will wait for a report about a rose - which rose and which fermentation / drying modes

IvaNova, I did not make a rose, but I think that as in the case of all leaves that do not contain tannins and have a strong fresh aroma, light fermentation (3 - 4 hours) and drying at a low temperature (60 - 80 *). Or maybe not ferment at all and do as with mint, lemon balm and snakehead - wither, twist in a meat grinder and dry at 30 *. In general, you need to try different options and choose the best one.
I was so "toiled" with the snakehead. He has a very gorgeous smell when fresh. First I wanted to ferment with Ivan-tea. But I thought that fermentation would kill this aroma, so after the meat grinder I immediately sent it to dry.

[Eva3]

More than a month has passed since the beginning of tea production.

Eva3, thanks for such a detailed report. I think he will cheer up many.

[Linga]

The thought crept in - could try to make "Cherry honey" - like "fireweed" only, from leaves ?! or is it better not to translate the products and still dry tea ...)

Linga, yes there are not many leaves. Rather, you will need a lot of sugar. I think it will turn out very well.

I'll write about the rose now (I'll post the pictures in the evening or tomorrow), I have a big bush, more than 20 years ago I bought a bush from my granny, she said that it was a maroon velvet rose. I have bloomed pink roses, with the smell, color and shape of tea buds, only the buds themselves are full and large. I do not think that my grandmother deceived, I am inclined to believe that due to the fact that the bush was transplanted in an adult state, it was simply reborn (who knows). Every year she used the flatbreads for jam or compotes, or simply dried them into tea. I used the leaves for tea. But the leaves are already tough, spoiled, with specks, so she waited until the rose released new pagons and began to bloom again. It was from these young pagons that the foxes tore. Some of the lower ones have already become more rigid, and the upper ones are quite gentle, some are even still burgundy. The smell of the package from such leaves is of course awesome. There were not many leaves, so I sent 180 grams to the freezer and then added to the mix, and wrapped 100 grams in a bag in a towel and withers like this until morning, otherwise they would simply dry out in the air. I twisted it in a meat grinder, the granules turned out good, at the end I added a few more flower petals, 5-10 grams per 100 g of leaves. Fermented as usual, about 5 hours, I didn’t know the time, I was guided by the smell. I also dried it as usual, I can't see the temperature in the oven, but I think it was no more than 80, the amount was small, it dried quickly. Well, I finished drying it in a bag in the air, in general, everything is standard. The smell of dry tea is recognizable pink, delicate. The color is amazing, the plum gives me a similar color. It also tastes light, pleasant, sourness and tartness is felt, and again, recognizable pink. So next year I feel that I will have this bush plucked from spring.

[Eva3]

And we ruined our roses this winter. There was almost no snow, so they froze. But now new shoots have gone from the roots, so the next year should be big. Last years it was more than 2 meters. It means that next year I will try to make tea from it.
Thank you, Eva3, for details. More new information will be typed, again I will ask the chief for permission to edit the topic. Then I will put links to the rose on the first page of the recipe - so that people can immediately find it.
And here is my rose, now reborn:

Yes, they are so easy-going roses, so long as the root does not die out. And every spring I cut the branches, both in the teahouse and in the garden ones, almost at the root, leave 7-10 cm from the force, I see that there would be 2-3 living buds. They then swing out all the same under 2 m height and beautiful buds. And usually 3-4 more pagons are released from the ground. It is advisable to cut them off again by at least half after flowering, then the second flowering will also be violent.As a rule, I miss the moment, what I will cut, and what is already late, young branches are released, then it’s a pity to cut, and the buds are already small. I really have all the roses grown from cuttings, so beautiful ones leave the ground. Maybe if the vaccinated do not pass such a number, but will be reborn into a tea room.

mom has a climbing rose
I tried to dry both flowers and leaves - no smell
it seems to me that such a rose won't go into tea

and another question, sorry for the offtopic
I just bought a miracle of Chinese tea makers called "currant jelly tea drink"
contains hibiscus
the name is familiar, but even with the help of a search engine I can not figure out what it is
does it not grow in the middle lane?

I have a climbing rose, but the leaves, although they have grown as young as they are now, do not smell like in a teahouse. She walked around her herself, but did not dare to let her tea. And I look sideways at the garden, but I think there will be little sense from them, the buds have a smell, but not the same as in the tea room, weak.
And hibicus, this probably means hibiscus, or it still seems to be called a Chinese rose. I have never met such a plant live, but bought it in bags, when brewing it turns out sour tea of ​​a rich cherry color, for an amateur.