From Seed to Harvest: Grow and Brew Your Own Herbal Tea

Making herbal tea from your own garden is so simple that you may find yourself enjoying a freshly steeped cup of tea every day.

In this post, we’ll go over the basic growing techniques for herbs as well as the harvesting, drying, and tea-making process. From Chamomile, the most popular herbal tea, to refreshing peppermint, we’ve got you covered.

Our two Herbal Tea Seed Collections are conveniently packaged to get your herbal tea garden started. Follow the planting directions on the seed packets and make sure you have a sunny location with good-quality soil.

A container garden can be an excellent choice for growing herbs. During the winter months, the containers can be moved indoors, and as long as they receive 6 hours of sunlight every day, they will continue to grow. Containers work especially well for herbs in the mint family since they can spread rapidly.

Now that you have grown your own herbs, the next step is harvesting your herbs!

Herbs can be harvested anytime during the growing season. Choose unblemished herbs that are free of pests and damage.

Both flowers and leaves are used for tea making. Choosing which part of the plant to use for tea depends on the herb.

Mint teas are made from plant leaves. Fresh leaves are best, but you can also dry them to preserve them. Strip leaves from the stems to harvest.

Harvest the flowers of Chamomile, Echinacea, Calendula, Lavender, and Borage, to make tea. Snip the flowers off just behind the blossom. Teas can be made with fresh flowers or dried. Try them both and decide which flavor you like best.

Harvest herbs in the morning after the dew has evaporated and before the plant oils dry from the heat. Rinse the flowers and leaves to prepare them for making tea and for drying.

Drying herbs is pretty simple. Successful drying conditions include good air circulation and keeping herbs out of direct sunlight. In dry locations, this can be done outside or in a clean garden shed. In more humid areas, you may want to use a food dehydrator. The perfect temperature is between 95 and 115ºF.

The main thing to remember is to get the herbs sufficiently dry if they are going to be stored. When drying leaves, spread them out so that they aren’t overlapping. To dry flowers, make sure they are spread out so that they will dry and not just get moldy. You can also hang them from the stems.

Once herbs have dried, store them in airtight glass containers away from sunlight. Shelf life is about 12 to 18 months.

Ready to make delicious herbal tea? 

The basic method is to place fresh leaves or flowers in a cup and pour boiling water over the herbs. In general, the herbs will need to steep for 5 to 7 minutes. Some herbs can turn bitter, so start with 5 minutes and see how the flavor is.

To increase the flavor, use more herbs, not longer steeping time. Start with about 2 tablespoons of herbs.

With fresh loose-leaf teas, you just need a way to strain the leaves before drinking. A tea infuser works best with dry herbs, but there are also other simple methods.

You can duplicate the traditional and fancy method of using a Gaiwan (Chinese lidded tea bowl) by placing a plate over the bowl of steeped tea and carefully straining the tea into a cup.

Another method is to use a French Press to steep your herbal teas. It’s simple to add the boiling water and then strain the tea as you pour it into a teacup.

A coffee filter is another way to strain the leaves easily. First, rinse the filter to remove any paper taste. Next, place the coffee filter in the cup. Place the loose leaves or flowers on top. Then add the boiling water. Let it steep. When ready, remove the filter with the herbs inside.

There are lots of health benefits associated with drinking herbal tea. And many different flavor combinations you can create when you prepare your own.

Now you have it—the tips you need to start enjoying your home-grown fresh herbal teas.

Enjoy!

Written by Beverly Laudie