Alternative Teas

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Zahrah Nasir

Beyond the usual black tea and milk, there are many other types of teas which can be cultivated in your garden.

Winter sun drying of nasturtium flowers

Pakistan is a nation of tea drinkers. As are so many other nations around the world despite the fact that regular black tea, laced with milk and tons of sugar is extremely bad for you health and, these days, hard on the budget too! However, do not despair as there are literally dozens – perhaps even hundreds – of healthy alternative teas around and many of these are quite easy to grow in the garden or in pots.

The health benefits of herbal teas differ depending on the herbs used. This also varies depending whether just a single plant is used in the preparation or a mix selected for a specific reason.

Some herbs teas give a wake up boost in a morning; others are relaxing and aide sleep while many others are simply and refreshingly tasty and delightfully aromatic to drink.

Packaged herbal teas are, these days, quite widely available in the market but, despite their list of contents – not all, especially those originating in the Far East and China have such a list. One can never be one hundred per cent sure as to the exact contents and as to whether or not they are as organic as some are claimed to be as, like with other so called ‘organic’ products, depending on the laws in their country of origin, they may only contain a mere one per cent of organic material in order to qualify to be labeled as organic!

Growing your own – organically of course – is the easiest, cheapest and surest option.

Drying rose petals

Herbal teas can be made from a wide variety of plants. This could be from their flowers, leaves, stems, roots and even the seeds of some and, amongst the most commonly available plants are: Chamomile, thyme, sage, aniseed, dill, rose petals, rose hips, lemon balm, agastache, basil, rosemary, hibiscus, eucalyptus, moringa oleifera, and, for those who enjoy a hike in the unpolluted hills and mountains, pine needle tea is an absolute must!

An extremely wide selection of herbs are suitable for cultivation in pots, trays and other containers but deep rooted, perennial varieties – and trees of course – are, unless dwarf varieties, best grown directly in the ground.

Herbs which thrive in pots, etc. include the following: Chamomile, thyme, sage, lemon balm, lemon verbena, nasturtiums, agastache, rosemary, lemon grass, oregano/marjoram, basil, borage, plecanthrus (often called Cuban or Spanish thyme here in Pakistan), geraniums, parsley, tarragon, viola/pansies/sweet violets, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry leaves, plus apple tree leaves and, of course, many varieties of mint with regular green mint, peppermint, apple mint and lemon mint topping the extensive list.

The added advantage of growing herbs in pots/containers is that they can be moved from winter sun to summer shade quite easily depending on their preferred ‘personal’ requirements and the season.

A good basic potting mix for herbs, both for starting off their seeds and for growing mature plants is one which is well draining and rich in organic matter with the following being ideal. 50% homemade organic compost/well rotted organic manure, 25% sweet earth and 25% river sand. Do not use sea sand as this contains far more salt than the majority of herbs – unless they are natural to sea-side conditions – will tolerate.

If growing herbs directly in the garden ensure that top quality soil conditions (similar to those mentioned above) are maintained and keep your herbs mulched – this feeds them, restricts the growth of weeds and conserves moisture – especially during the summer months or when growing on exposed roof tops, which can get surprisingly hot even during the winter months. They are hot in the day and extra cold at night in winter, hence, rooftop gardening can be quite a different challenge than gardening at ground level, so please keep this in mind.

Pine needles make a healthy tea

Different herbs have different medicinal properties so please do NOT experiment with them unless you know exactly what you are doing. Combining an ‘incorrect’ combination of herbs can, in some cases, act to increase their potency so both care and knowledge are an absolute must and accurate research on each individual herb, its uses, potency, precautions and growing conditions is strongly recommended. Surely there is not room, in just one article, to provide all of the necessary information here. Do not, however, let this put you off from starting out by making teas with well known species such as mints, lemon grass, hibiscus flowers, Moringa oleifera leaves and pine needles – spruce and cedar being the best – which, to the surprise of many, are very high in vitamin C and, as well as fighting tuberculosis, are delicious made in to soup. They can also be used, fresh or dried, in both vegetarian and savory dishes or made in to a rather interestingly flavoured soup.

Herb teas, in various guises and made from an amazing variety of ingredients are, after pure water, the oldest drink known to man and all can be made from either fresh or dried ingredients.

Depending on the ambient temperature and hours of direct sunlight, some herbs can be sun dried whilst others are best hung up in bunches and dried, more slowly, in a shady but airy place where ventilation is unrestricted. This is especially true for herbs containing oil – such as basil and rosemary – as the oil quickly evaporates in direct summer sunshine so should only be sun dried during the much cooler winter months.

Herbs, depending on stem length and leaf size, can be hung up, in bunches to dry, spread out on special drying racks, slow dried on or in woven baskets. They can be dried more quickly on stainless steel trays or dried in solar dryers which are, at long last, being slowly introduced here but, at the moment, mostly designed for drying fruit and mushrooms.

Herbal teas can be given an extra ‘zap’ by adding a little dried citrus peel – orange, lemon, grapefruit – which most people throw away but which has a wide variety of uses. The white ‘pith’ on the inside of the peel should be carefully cut off with a sharp knife prior to slicing the selected peel in to narrow strips for drying and using in tea, in pilau, in cakes and in many other dishes.

Making herb tea is a simple exercise. You can either infuse it – as with black tea or, if being made from something like pine needles or dried rosehips, it is usual to add the ingredients to boiling water and allow to simmer for 15 – 30 minutes depending on the strength required.

• Useful tips: Store dried herbs, be these flowers, leaves, roots or whatever, in airtight containers, clearly dated and labeled, in a cool, dark place and, if a sweetener is needed, use either, pure organic honey or raw, brown sugar – organic if you can get it.