Make your own tea!

ORChick

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You can certainly grow a number of plants for herb tea. I think most places in N. America will grow herb tea plants of some sort or another. Personally, I prefer black tea, and so buy what I need - in quantity, as I don't drink coffee.. If it turns out at some point that I can't do that then I will need to develop a stronger taste for peppermint and chamomile.
 

Bettacreek

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I buy black tea. 100 tagless tea bags for a buck. I'll add mint occasionally, which I grow here. I'd love to do some chamomile though!

It costs me $0.03 to make a pint of tea. I could knock a cent off of that if I only used one tea bag instead of two, but whatever. Costs more when I sweeten it with honey too, but I try to trade for my honey and typically only use it as a treat. Usually it's sweetened with sugar, and that's added into my costs. I use quite a bit of sugar too... If someone used less sugar (or sweetened with stevia?) And only one tea bag they could get a pint for closer to a penny, or even less if you cook tea bags on the stove and make a gallon at a time or reuse tea bags. Anyways, other than herbal teas, or if you're the dooms day type, there's not much of a point in making your own black tea. Herbals though, boy can they get expensive!
 

heatherlynnky

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We do Chamomile also. Super easy to grow. Don't have to plant it every year. We have a bed set aside and it comes back up every year even bigger than before. Its easy to harvest too so the tweens get that job. I like a little lavendar with the chamomile too. My mom has an old fashioned rose that she has nursed along the last 40 years that we get nice huge rosehips from also. I also have picked little ones of a cluster of wild roses on a neighbors property. He has what felt like a mile long hedge of the things. They were clinging to an old wire fence. So many and took so long and wow those little thorns hurt. Good tea though. I don't bother with tea bags. We have tea eggs and use those. My mom is from europe and most of the medicinal teas are sold lose in a paper bag I swear. My mom jealously guards her moms tea egg but you can get them anywhere I would think.
 

ninny

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Never heard of a tea egg. What part of the rose is it's hip? Plants have body parts? :hide I have a large wild rose growing can I use it's?
 

heatherlynnky

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I have an awesome neighbor. He is older and owns 168 acres. On this he has 3 stocked ponds, nut trees, tons of wild roses, pear trees and tons to forage. I have permission to do so and he has never done any spraying. its really kinda wild land. Its awesome
 

Marianne

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This is great info, I'm glad it came to light again.

My mom has an ancient tea egg, holds plenty of tea leaves. After looking in several places, all I could find was a smaller tea ball. It's okay, but wouldn't be my first choice. It's just not big enough as you can fill one half, then close the other half over it. My mother's has a screw on top.

My neighbor got tired of fighting her tea ball so she ordered little muslin bags that have a drawstring. Now we're talking - you can stuff as many berries, herbs, whatever in that little bag. :D
 

nelson castro

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Various mints for gastritis (not me), chamomile to relax, corn silk for kidney problems, elder for any infection process, ginger for warmth and several that are about to be implemented.....just started. Reason I use teas, are all for medicinal uses.
Great information being shared..
 

me&thegals

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Mint. Strip the leaves off the stems and dehydrate in dehydrator, bag for winter use.
 
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