Spring Tea

This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products. 

Making your own tea is a joy, but gifting it is even better. Scroll down to learn more about the beautiful Ball® Rose Vintage Jars I used to make picture perfect “Spring Tea” gifts for my friends and family. They were also wonderful for fresh cut floral arrangements! I have one friend who always brings me fresh cut iris in a Ball® jar for Easter each year. 

The art of tea making begins when the first seed is planted and extends long after the last sip from your cup is gone. The period in between is my favorite though. Enjoying the plants in my garden. Watching them sway in the breeze during the warm summer months. Clipping them, bundling them up, and hanging them to dry. There is such a wonderful ritual to it. 

Planting and growing a “Tea Garden” takes planning year after year. Mostly for me it is how can I cram as many plants into one space as possible. Each year I add new varieties and welcome the emergence of old friends. Listed below you will find a few of my favorite herbs to grow for tea making: 

• Lemon Balm

• Thyme

• Lemon Grass

• Nettle

• Holy Basil

• Blue Vervain

• Chamomile

• Rose

• Lavender

• Peppermint

• Hibiscus

• Calendula

• Yarrow

• Rosemary

• Radish leaf

• Catnip

• Sage

• Echinacea

• Bee Balm

• Borage

• Dandelion

• Red clover

Often each plant produces enough each year that I am able to make several blends. Which I store in airtight jars to use in the months when those herbs aren’t in season. I also take great joy in creating blends or gifting whole herb teas to friends and family. 

This year my tea gifts are extra special because of my beautiful Ball® Rose Vintage Jars. They truly are the perfect vessel to carry something as special as tea grown with love. The lids are exclusive to the Rose Vintage jars. The jars are dishwasher-safe! The lids are hand wash only! One of the most important things to me is that they are BPA-free!

The blend pictured above includes Holy Basil, Nettle, Lemon Balm, Calendula, Hibiscus, and Rose. 

Below I have listed some tips on harvesting and using your herbs for teas: 

- Always harvest in the morning before the sun and heat hits the plant. 

- Seek out local organic herb farmers for items you don’t grow yourself. 

- When cutting always use clean shears. This is both beneficial to you and the plant. 

- Brush off and remove any organic material such as bugs and dirt. Do not rinse herbs as this may lead to mold growth. 

- If air drying herbs, make small bundles to hang using natural twine. Make sure they have room for air to evenly circulate around the bundles. You may also lay them flat on mesh screens to dry. Drying can take up to a week. Allow to dry entirely before placing in jars. 

- You want to avoid direct sunlight on your herbs as they are drying or once dried. This will cause them to lose flavor. My Herbs are dried over my kitchen window. It has bright light with no direct sunlight. Bright light is important.

All Herbs are different. Make sure to research the particular plant you are working with before consuming anything. Things to look up through reputable sources (books, websites, local herbalists, etc) are the benefits, side effects, and interactions of that specific herb. Also, make sure that you are 100% sure of the identification of the plant before harvesting/consuming anything. Tea is an empowering tool for your health and well-being when used with the care and respect it is owed. 

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.