How to Make Fresh Herbal Tea

Making fresh herbal tea is as easy as one-two-three! Why buy bottled teas that contain loads of sugar and other questionable ingredients when you can make your own tea from mint and other plants that are easy to grow in your own garden?

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Herbs
• Water
• Teapot

1. Boil water in a tea kettle or pot.

2. Place your herbs in a tea cup or tea pot, and then fill with your boiling water.

3. Steep (just let it sit) for about 10 minutes, and then strain it and enjoy with honey, sugar, lemon, milk or other yummy additions.

4. Sun tea is very easy to make and for many types of herbs, such as peppermint, it works just as well as pouring boiling water over the herbs. To make sun tea, rinse, chop, and place a handful of herbs in a non-metallic container (a clean juice jar works well) with about 1 quart of filtered water. Cover tightly and let it stand in the sun or in a window that gets plenty of direct light for 4 or 5 hours. Strain; add ice, sugar or lemon if desired.

5. Lemony Daily Tea Blend
   
   This tea is fresh, crisp and lemony. Of course, the herbs are all good for you, but this recipe is primarily for enjoyment. The yerba mate gives it a little caffeine, so if you don't want any, just leave it out.
   
   Place the following ingredients in a one-quart teapot:
   1/4 cup yerba mate
   1 tbsp. orange peel
   2 tbsp. dried lemon balm
   2 tbsp. cup lemon basil flowering tops, if available
   2 tbsp. lemon grass, cut in slices
   2 tbsp. lemon verbena
   
   Add boiling water to fill the teapot, cover and wait about 10 minutes before you strain it, pour it and enjoy the crisp lemony flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• The ingredients listed here are suggestions: you can vary the amounts and even the ingredients and still wind up with good tea blends. Use your imagination and creativity!
• Amounts are for dried herbs, but fresh is always better. If you use fresh herbs, use slightly more.
• If you don't have fresh herbs, use good quality dried herbs that haven't been sitting in your pantry for too long.
• If you use a fresh herb from your garden or from the grocery store, make certain that it has not been sprayed with any pesticides or herbicides.
• You can store leftover tea in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed glass jar for a few days, so the next time you want to enjoy a cup of the tea you just made, it will be prepared and ready to go.