Tea Time with Dionne

Spring day temperatures with utterly scrumptious warmth are coaxing people out of their homes to go for leisurely strolls absorbing the joy of being outdoors.  Of course with the warmth, I've started turning my garden soil in my mind and trying to decide what herbs for tea I'd like to grow this year.  Tisane is an infusion made from any herbs that do no specifically carry the camellia sinensis or 'tea' plant in it.  Around this Tea Priestess' household one tisane that is always grown is least 2 (though often many more) kinds of mint. Mint is part of the Lamiaceae family of herbs which includes other culinary favorites as basil, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lavender, and perilla.   Associated with the Greek God Pluto (aka Hades), mint is said to have such healing properties as to ease problems like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, stomach upset and baby colic (I have personally used mint for these problems and have had great success...your mileage may vary)

I have found peppermint (mentha piperita) and lemon balm (melissa officinalis) to be easy to grow and particularly lovely to  snap off a few leaves of each, throw them into a cup and brew a stomach soothing draft of lemon mint tea or to add them to a salad or fresh fruit as a surprise burst of flavor.  These sisters do particularly well in pots so even if you live in an apartment you could grow either of these in a window box garden.  If you have the luxury of planting outdoors, I would highly advise potting mint as it tends to be an invasive ground cover when planted directly into Mama Gaia.  Check out your favorite garden store or farmer's market as you may be blessed with other flavors of mint including orange, pineapple, apple and chocolate!!  As things start to warm up in my part of the world, be sure to check my photo stream as I will post pictures of my herb garden as it grows.