Home-grown herbal tea is a popular thirst quencher and offers help with minor he alth problems. If you grow the tea herbs yourself, you can also be sure that they have not been contaminated by chemical agents. However, it is important that you dry the tea properly so that the diverse ingredients are preserved.
How do you properly dry home-grown tea?
To properly dry home-grown tea, harvest the plants in the late morning and clean them gently. Then dry outdoors, in a dark room, in a dehydrator or oven at a low temperature. Store dried tea in opaque containers.
When should teas be collected?
The harvest time for tea herbs is quite short because the plants should be brought in before flowering begins. Other herbs such as nettles or marigolds produce fresh shoots and flowers throughout the summer, which you can always harvest fresh.
- Introduce the plants on a dry day, preferably late in the morning.
- The dew should have dried off, but the sun should not yet develop its full strength.
If you keep this in mind, not only is the aroma more intense, the tea plants also dry significantly faster because they have not stored any unnecessary water.
How is the tea dried?
Preparation:
- Unless the plants are very dirty, just gently knock them out.
- If it is necessary to wash it off, just rinse it briefly under running water.
- Then carefully pat dry with kitchen paper.
Outdoor drying
- If dry weather is forecast and you have a sunny, airy outdoor space, you can dry the tea here.
- Tie the tea plants into small bouquets and hang them up.
- The tea is dry when the leaves rustle gently when touched.
Drying in the house
- The room where you dry the tea should be airy and dark.
- Hang the bouquets on a beam in the attic, for example.
- Alternatively, you can place the tea plants on frames covered with gauze (€14.00 on Amazon). Turn daily so that the tea dries evenly.
In the oven or dehydrator
Drying is particularly quick and convenient here.
- Spread the herbs onto the drying rack. If these are quite coarse, place baking paper or gauze underneath.
- If drying in the oven, place baking paper on a tray and spread the tea herbs on it.
- Set the temperature to the lowest level. This is important so that the tea plants don't burn.
- Leave the oven door ajar to allow moisture to escape. In the dehydrator, this happens automatically by circulating the air.
- Turn occasionally so that the tea dries evenly.
Depending on the device, the drying time is four to six hours. Then take out the dried herbs, stir them if desired and pack the tea.
Tip
Always store the tea in tightly fitting glass or porcelain containers in a dark, dry and not too warm place.
