The in-between seasons are (in our opinion) the most beautiful times of the year. With 👌🏼 temperature, fresh air, changing leaves and new blooms, spring and autumn are easily the best seasons to sit back and enjoy a blissful 100% natural cuppa with the Tea Swag Set. 

Here, in our garden, on the east coast of Australia, lavender is blooming bright, the peppermint leaves are releasing fragrant oils and the bees are happy. So as we enjoy our last month of the in-between, we’re sharing a soul-soothing recipe, from soil-to-steep. 

Herbs can be used fresh or dried to make tea. Fresh herbs generally have a stronger scent, but have less flavour when steeped in hot water. Different herbs require different drying methods, for example herbs with thicker, waxier leaves can be air-dried (which may take a couple of weeks), softer-leafed varieties like basil and mint should be dried quickly to prevent mould. Alternatively, herbs can be dried quickly in the oven. 

Our recipe calls for dry leaves, and since we would like to enjoy our tea today, we’ll be drying our tea in the oven!

Prep time: 15 minutes (plus cooling time)

Cook time: 1 hour, 15 mins

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup fresh Peppermint Leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh Lavender Buds
• 1 cup fresh Ginger, thinly peeled 
• Boiling water

Method:

1. Set oven on the lowest heat setting. Place whole herbs on a baking sheet and check/turn frequently for about an hour. Be sure to separate the herbs so you can combine different ingredients for different recipes in future.
2. When the herbs are completely dry and crispy, they are ready to use. Allow to cool.
3. Cut up each herb finely and place each herb in separate small glass jars (you may want to label the jars too!)
4. Put the kettle on ☺
5. Fill a reusable tea bag with 1 teaspoon of dried peppermint, ½ teaspoon of dried lavender and ½ teaspoon of dried ginger and place in favourite mug
6. Pour boiling water into your mug and allow to steep for a 10-15 minutes (or as desired)

This recipe will give you about 50 servings of individual tea.

Note: steeping herbs in boiling water will produce the strongest flavoured tea. The tea can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days without losing its medicinal/health properties. For extra flavour, consider adding in spices (cinnamon, ginger etc.), dried fruit or raw sugar for a little sweetness.

Health Benefits: Sip this soothing tea before bed: the lavender fragrance alone may aid stress and anxiety levels. Peppermint can help digestion, help relieve headaches and also assist in better sleep. Ginger has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as helping with digestion.

With the silly season fast approaching, dried herbal tea blends make easy, zero waste, thoughtful gifts. It's a way to share your knowledge of herbal recipes and remedies with friends and family (plus utilising your garden harvest you've worked so hard to grow and not waste!).