A few weeks ago I cut some bunches of herbs and hung them up to dry in the toolshed.
Now they look like this.
Today I stripped the leaves off the stalks.
There's mint...
..and lemon balm.
I chopped them together...
..and made a caddy full of tea and a cup to try.
We have a Food Festival at work in September, so I'm trying to work up an idea for an activity based around drying herbs and making tea. Whatever I do has to be interactive, robustly low tech and highly repeatable, (26,000 visitors over 2 days last year). I want something that kids, (and grown ups), can get their hands in for a bit of sensory experience. Maybe we can make tea bags to take home if I get some of those 'fill your own' ones. Hmmm - I feel a meeting with Miss Sian coming on...
Inspired by the success of this morning's batch of tea,
I went out and picked another wheelbarrow full of mint and lemon balm,
and a basket of elderflowers.
I went out and picked another wheelbarrow full of mint and lemon balm,
and a basket of elderflowers.
They're all spread out to dry now - the shed smells like heaven.
Apparently if you drink tea made from lemon balm, you'll live to be 100.
(not sure when you have to start though....)
(not sure when you have to start though....)
as luke said to lorelai on gilmore girls:
ReplyDelete'I'm all in'
Yay - we're going to be fabulous!
DeleteI used to grow loads of lemon balm when I lived in Scotland and drink it like you for tea. I so miss it. Certainly need to pick up a pot of herb and start again. I have thyme, sage, rosemary - but not lemon balm.
ReplyDeleteI think the mint and lemon balm are a really good combo. Also cutting it back regularly helps to stop it self seeding EVERYWHERE!
Delete