Good Herbs!

I love good coffee and tea. But come summertime, sometimes I want something light and refreshing, chilled, with a hint of the garden. That's why I've started a line of herbal blends for light beverages, now being sold at Local Roots. These herbal "teas" -– known as tisanes -– combine homegrown herbs and flowers with other herbs from local farms for a relaxing, uplifting change of pace from regular iced tea.

Here are my three Summertime Blends --


Lavender Lemonade: Inspired by a drink I enjoyed at Pickity Place in New Hampshire, this blend includes my favorite homegrown lavender, dried homegrown lemon balm, and a pinch of hibiscus blossoms, resulting in a blush pink iced tisane that will relax your body and lift up your spirits.

Lemon Mellow: Some days I want lemonade, some days I want lemon tea. This blend of lemon verbena and bronze fennel from Karen's Garden Delights along with wildcrafted nettle and red clover goes down smooth as silk, cools you off, and lets you breathe a sigh of relief.

Midsummer's Dream: Even Shakespeare would approve of this fairytale blend of homegrown lavender, lemon balm, spearmint, and rose geranium. Iced or hot, this brew will settle you for the evening and bring you sweet dreams.

To brew:

--Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of herbal blend to a clean glass quart jar.
--Pour hot (not boiling, but almost) water over the herbs.
--Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
--Using a strainer (and canning funnel, if you have one), strain out the herbs as you pour the tisane into a clean quart jar. (You will probably want a hot pad or oven mitt to hold the first jar!)
--Compost the herbs -– the earth will thank you!
--Sweeten the tisane with good local honey.
--Add a lid, refrigerate, and by the end of the day you will have something cold and refreshing to soothe you!

Note: Herbal tisanes are mild and light-colored. Do not overbrew in order to get a deeper color.

Try some and see what you think!