In our house we enjoy a nice cup of herbal tea. One of our favorites is Raspberry Leaf Tea. I have always purchased it from the local grocery store. I have talked about making our own for several years and this year we made our way to the woods and picked some leaves from the wild Raspberry plants that grow in abundance.You can pick the leaves in the summer to early fall, before the leaves turn color. Mike ended up picking most of them because I just couldn't get the hang of taking the leaves off the cane without getting injured! They can bite you!
I dried the leaves in the dehydrator.( It is not necessary to use a dehydrator. You can dry them in a shady spot for a few days.)
After they were completely dried, we crushed the leaves and put them in a Ball Mason Jar for storage.
Tonight, we did a taste test, it turned out great! I am glad we tried it. I love the fact that it was free! I guess you could say we have
"labor" cost involved- but for us, spending time in the woods doesn't really count as labor! It is something we enjoy doing.
Directions on how to make Tea:
One heaping Teaspoon-Tablespoon to One cup Water.
Pour boiling water over the leaves. Let steep for about 10-15 minutes. Strain, and it is ready to drink.
You can add honey for some sweetness!
As I was reading about foraging for Raspberry Leaves we came across a tip/warning:
If you're hunting for raspberry plants in the forest, make a lot of noise as you go. This will help frighten away any nearby bears who may be there for the same purpose
Thankfully, we do not have any bears in our region so that was not a concern!
There a lot of health benefits to drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea. I have provided a few sites if anyone would like to read more about it. I am not a herb specialist so I am going to refrain from giving any advice :)
I just wanted to share our "forage" experience.
http://www.gingerhollow.com/wisconsin-medicinal-plants/red-raspberry
http://www.livestrong.com/article/76498-health-benefits-red-raspberry-tea/
I love that you did this! :-) I love raspberry leaf tea too but have never made it from leaves I gathered myself. Raspberries aren't very common in my part of Australia, but I will definitely keep my eyes and ears open for the possibility. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! I would love to visit Australia!
DeleteThanks Sandra... I will try this next year as we have had several frosts and the leaves have turned..
ReplyDeleteEnjoy,.
Oh great post I would love to try this and I am glad you make lots of noise bears do love raspberries. B
ReplyDeleteI don't know if we have raspberry leaves in our woods or not. I'll have to ask my husband. I drank a lot of raspberry leaf tea when I was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteI did too. My teenage daughter loves this tea!
DeleteSounds delicious and raspberries are so good for us. I just don't have any raspberries on my property to use but think if I can find some I will try this. Visiting from LinkedUpTuesday
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Marla!!
DeleteThis is a great idea! One to remember for next year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI grow raspberries, and take their leaves in the summer. My understanding is that you have to take the leaves before the plant flowers to gain the medicinal value. I just don't have the heart to do this. However, they do make a nice cup of tea. Not as dark as black tea.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I had not heard that. Thanks for the information, and for visiting!
ReplyDeleteRaspberry leaf tea, I have never heard of this before but it is going to be something I'm going to try next year for sure. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
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ReplyDeleteI have to try this, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Raspberry Leaf Tea before. Sounds Interesting. Thank you for sharing on Rural Wisdom and Know How.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you stopped by! Thanks for sharing on the Four Seasons Blog Hop! Sandra from Scrumptilicious 4 You! I am Pinning this Now!
ReplyDelete