Whenever we take people out foraging, we bring along a thermos of what we call Forager’s Tea. Each batch is a bit different from the last, as we use what ingredients we have on hand, but because we always dehydrate a stack of foraged and homegrown ingredients when they’re in abundance, the basic flavour profile stays roughly the same. People seem to really love it, so we thought we’d share the recipe!

We work in volume ‘parts’ rather than specific measurements in this recipe; that way you can make up enough for just one cup or a whole army of teapots without wondering about converting measurements. You can use any measuring device you like – teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, bushels, or even bathtubs! – just keep the ratios the same and you’ll be right.

Using a tablespoon as your measurement unit for this recipe will yield enough for 2-3 pots of tea. 💕

Hooray for zero-waste tea!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 parts dried rose petals
• 2 parts dried rosehips
• 2 parts wild mint/peppermint/spearmint leaves
• 2 parts dried apple
• 1 part dried orange/lemon (peel & all)
• 1 part dried elderberry/blackberry/plum
• 1 part lemon myrtle/lemongrass/lemon verbena/lemon balm leaves
• 1/2 part wild fennel seeds/flowers/fronds
• 1/2 part liquorice root (optional – can replace with more fennel)

METHOD:

Chop or crumble all dehydrated ingredients to be roughly the same size.

Use 1-2 teaspoons of blend per cup, and steep in boiling water for 5+ minutes for best flavour.

That’s it!

Notes:

• Breaking ingredients into small pieces helps the flavour steep out easily and evenly.

• Where several options are listed, take your pick of which suits you best/is available.

• You can use fresh ingredients in place of dried ones. Obviously just dry them if you want to store the blend.

• All rose petals will work, but certain varieties give better flavour, and rosebuds often have more fragrance than opened petals, so experiment a bit if you’re drying your own. Make sure they’re not sprayed with chemical though!

• This tea is as delicious cold as it is hot.

• If you’re storing this blend, make sure all ingredients are thoroughly dried so no residual moisture causes it to clump, as this can lead to spoilage over time.

Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy; 6: Produce no waste; 10: Use and value diversity; 11: Use edges and value the marginal