Lemongrass and herbal teas

The asparagus is tipping over and although I have read that you should not disturb the roots I did put in a few small stakes to support them.  I have stopped harvesting them in order to build the plants up for next years harvest. These were only two year old plants this year. I also cut some lemongrass and used it as mulch around the base -I think it keeps bugs at bay and also it smells divine. 
The lemongrass was running a bit rampant and needed cutting back, so I coarsely chopped some of the stems to dry and make tea.  I am not sure if you are supposed to use the stems or the leaves for tea, but I think the stems are more flavourful - at least that is what you use for cooking.  Anyway this time I had used all the leaves for mulch!  I often use a lemongrass stick in my regular tea as a stirrer and it imparts a lovely flavour.


 That got me going, and soon I was cutting back the spearmint, chocolate mint, stevia and even a few hibiscus leaves and kaffir lime leaves. I have never dried leaves for tea before, so this is a first.  It is so humid that I am not sure the leaves will dry out that well.  When it is raining I will keep them inside where we run the aircon in the evenings. 
Otherwise they will go outside in the sun. I have this nifty net cover to keep the bugs off. I actually bought a couple of them when we were passing through Hong Kong, only to find that you could get them in the dollar store here! It fold up like an umbrella for storage.
I am drying everything separately and will mix them when I brew them.

Comments

  1. Nell JeanSun Jan 10, 02:34:00 AM

    Lemongrass gets killed back by the cold here, to resprout in the spring. I pot up a clump for the greenhouse because the cat and dog love to chew the stems.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sandduneSun Jan 10, 07:19:00 AM

    africanaussie,
    It is amazing how many plants can be used for healing purposes. I used to make Dandelion tea when I lived up in Nothern Florida. Most folks there considered it an invasive weed but most all of the plant was edible as a green or to make tea or even wine.I put the leaves in a basket over the refrigerator to dry them out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. africanaussieMon Jan 11, 08:23:00 AM

    Sanddune,
    Yes my leaves are already dried - it rained so much over the weekend that they never got outside. What is dandelion tea used for?

    ReplyDelete
  4. africanaussieMon Jan 11, 08:27:00 AM

    NellJean, that is great that you can save some to plant out each year. I think it loves this climate - I keep having to cut it back!

    ReplyDelete
  5. sandduneMon Jan 11, 02:19:00 PM

    africanaussie,
    Check out
    http://www.dandeliontea.org/
    It has recipes and more facts than you probably want to know.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love interacting with all my readers, thank you for your comments. Have a great day!

Popular posts from this blog

Up-cycling fabrics

Image
   In our hot and humid climate, jeans are not big movers in our op shop.  We had a $1 a pair sale rack, and still have full racks..... so I decided to make up a few different bags to see if we can somehow save these items from landfill.  Re-fashioning those items into something useful.  I made a few variations just to try out the market and sold this one on the first day they were put out! Each one is individual, depending on what fabric I have available. I tend to lay things out, and then just play around a bit.   Here I am laying out all the options before I start sewing.  I have joined a facebook group which is so inspirational and supportive.      Up-Cycled Cloth Collective | Facebook So often, it is just a case of seeing what is there, and then using it in the best way possible.  I was excited to find this tote bag, which was perfect as the lining of a bag for a teenager. this was also snapped up quickly. The bags were hung up at the op shop and hopefully this will continue to be
Read more

Garden share collective June 2014

Image
Once again another month has rolled by and it is time to link up with  Lizzie at   strayedtable  for our monthly collective where we share what has happened in our gardens for the last month and what we hope to be working on for the next month.  Wrapping up May and heading into June. Last month I wanted to work on: Seed tape .... I did make seed tape, and did a tutorial on the processs - you can see it  here.   It was fun, and worked well, expecially with kids. Mostly though I see a space and throw a few seeds in.  I can see myself doing it at the beginning of a planting season. Worms . .... I have been adding a little of the worm castings every time I plant something, and as a side dressing when plants seem to need a bit of a boost.  It does seem to help. Sitting .... plenty of that - I like the new (original) location of the swing where we have a long view of the garden. - veggie garden is just around that corner.... Eat veggies out of the garden .... so far we have
Read more

I have something to tell you.....

Image
Come on in to my garden.... I have something to tell you  Sit down in the comfy chair  for a little while, and listen to the tinkling of the wind chimes - are you relaxed? Good!  Remember how I entered that garden competition, and the judges came, and they wandered down my paths, taking photos?  Yes! I won runner up! a Fifty dollar gift card ........ from a real nursery, not the big box store that I normally shop at.  Oh gosh, how exciting.... I wonder what I will buy? Thank you Cairns Regional Council!
Read more