Sunday Stills - (Ever) Green

 

Today is Father’s Day. My Dad always complimented me when I wore the color green. He also told me I looked good in hats and even bought me a black suede fedora as a birthday gift one year. So in honor of his many kindnesses and affirmations of love to me, I’m posting this pic of me wearing a green garden hat. I miss you, Dad, but I know without a doubt where your spirit has gone, and I will see you again one day.  

If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you. – William Ewart Gladstone

In the same way that a genuine loving compliment will warm your heart, so tea can warm you physically and also lift your spirit. My teas are not evergreen in the way they grow, but most are perennial. Brewed in boiled water with a dab of honey or other sweetener, they definitely check all the boxes for a cup of good cheer. Here is a list of the green teas I grow and drink with regularity.

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm - It started with one plant. I don’t even know if I first purchased it to use as a tea. I do know that, through self-seeding, it has spread all over my gardens. It’s so easy to transplant the small volunteer seedlings that come up in the Spring. This is probably my all-time favorite herbal tea. As with all homegrown teas, check for potential interactions with medications before brewing and drinking. I have also read that it loses its benefits if you drink it daily; it's better to intersperse your consumption of it with other beneficial herbal teas.

Lemon Balm Mandarin Variety

A new variety of Lemon Balm I found this year through Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is Mandarin Lemon Balm. It has a distinctly different, quite citrusy fragrance. It makes a stronger, greener tea than the pale yellow of common Lemon Balm. The plants I grew in pots have done much better than those I grew in the ground. I will definitely keep cuttings of this plant and grow it every year. I combine both types of Lemon Balm with fresh Gingerroot.

Tulsi or Holy Basil

Tulsi, or Holy Basil, has become another of my favorites. This plant is not usually available in nurseries, but it is very easy to grow from seed. Again, I have good luck growing it in pots, and right now I have so much of it that I need to find some people who would like to experiment with it as a tea. It is said to be an awesome booster of your immune system, but again, care needs to be taken if you take medications.

Spearmint

Spearmint grows in abundance for me. I usually need to weed it out of the gardens where I grow it, or it will take over the whole bed. I like to combine this herb with the Lemon Balm. Spearmint and Lemon Balm are a favorite to brew together.

Moringa

Moringa seeds, available through Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, are a unique addition to my tea garden. Rather than grow it in the ground, I keep it potted in the greenhouse. A few years ago, I had a Moringa tree that became so overgrown I could not keep it in the house after summer. The root, unknown to me, had thrust itself through the pot and was about 18 inches into the soil beneath the pot. This would have been wonderful if I lived in a climate where Moringa did not have to endure a Mid-Atlantic winter.

This post is part of Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge - (Ever)Green Thank you to Terri at Second Winds Leisure for hosting the challenge.