Backyard Brew

For several years, my family has been making what we refer to as our “house tea.” We gather botanical ingredients from our garden and surrounding property to create a unique herbal blend. No recipe exists for our tea, because we brew it fresh every day, and the ingredients change based on our preferences and what we have on hand. We make use of the plants around us and incorporate them into our diets in a simple, nofuss manner. Plus, a hot mug of homegrown tea really hits the spot at the breakfast table!

Here are some of my family’s favorite plants for growing or foraging. I hope you’ll be inspired to make your own custom tea blend.

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) and red raspberries (Rubus idaeus) both grow in our garden. Although you certainly can use the berries in tea, we generally save them for jams and baked confections. Blackberry leaves are a good source of vitamin C and are traditionally used as a remedy for sore throats.

Blackberry leaves are our staple house tea ingredient. We dry them in quantity after the berries are gone but before winter destroys the leaves, and we store them in bags in a dry cupboard. You can do the same thing with red raspberry leaves. Or, you can store fresh leaves in the freezer.

Both the fruit and leaves of () are a delicious addition to tea. Loaded with antioxidants, blueberries may help with eye and heart health, diabetes, and immune support. Just harvest the berries or leaves