Modern Indoor Herb Garden

Herbs from your indoor herb garden make refreshing ice tea.

In a great article “Herbal Tea: Just Plain Good”, author Jill Henderson reviews some of the methods of brewing herbal tea, which makes for a great review as summer is almost upon us, and the refreshing iced tea on those long hot days is a great treat.  Using herbs from your indoor herb garden for ice tea or hot tea is a refreshing summer treat.

Oftentimes, the words tea and infusion are used interchangeably to describe a simple liquid extraction. Yet, while the principle is the same, the methods of preparation are different. For one thing, tea is prepared using only water as the liquid solvent, and infusions can be prepared using water or oil. Another difference is that tea is generally steeped for ten to fifteen minutes before being consumed; water infusions are generally allowed to steep for at least a half hour or more, and oil infusions can be allowed to steep for as much as three days before being used.

There should really be a good discussion of selection of herbs for a tea.  While herbs are natural and refreshing – they may contain medicinal constituents and any selection should be made knowing about the herb itself, as well as interactions with any medications you may be taking.

To make a standard cup of tea, place 1 tsp. (gram weight will vary with each herb) of dried leafy herb or flowers in a teapot, mug or tisane cup. Bring 1 cup (237 ml) of water to a boil and pour it over the herb. Do not boil the herb in the water, as this can destroy many of the herb’s medicinal constituents. Place a cover over the top of the cup or pot and allow the tea to steep for ten to fifteen minutes. It is important to cover tea while it is steeping to prevent evaporation of volatile oils. It also keeps the tea nice and hot. If a tea that has steeped becomes too cool, it can be very slightly reheated without much harm.

Iced herb tea is a refreshing and healthful drink prepared using the same measurements as hot tea but generally on a larger scale to fill a pitcher that can be kept in the refrigerator. Besides being refreshing on a hot day, iced herbal teas can be used with a compress to ease the pain of burns, sunburns, and cold sores, or to ease itchy rashes, bites, and stings. Measure the amount of water needed to fill a pitcher and pour half of it into a pot and the other half into a pitcher. Place the pitcher of water in the refrigerator and bring the water in the pot to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, add the appropriate amount of herbs, and allow them to steep for ten to fifteen minutes or until cool. Strain the tea into the pitcher of cold water and mix well.

My favorite summer herb tea is a combination of commercially bought white tea, and home grown mint.  I have several different flavors of mint – and they make both hot and iced tea particularly refreshing for me.  Give herbs a try – either as a flavoring ingredient to your ‘normal’ tea – or as an herb tea (with a little thoughtful research first).  Enjoy your indoor herb garden all year round and use your herbs for refreshing iced tea or hot tea.

Click here to read the full article by Jill Henderson.

If this subject sparks an interest – you may enjoy a new release of an old book.  This is a classic collection of herbal wisdom, gathered in 1897. Bringing together the known medicinal properties, lore, and history of ‘simple’ cures as they were known at that time we are both in awe of their herbal knowledge. For anyone interested in herbal medicine, this foundational work is a special addition to any reference library. Available as a Kindle book – it would make a great addition to your library.

Herbal Simples (Illustrated)