If you’re an herbie, then chances are you love tea. Any herbalista does! (Click here for our favorite iced tea recipes.) But did you know that your herbs also enjoy tea? Just like people consuming tea, garden herbs and weeds provide nourishment and nutrients for growing plants. Although many gardeners can never brew a batch of compost tea and still be successful with their gardens, there are times when crafting a liquid fertilizer can really improve the quality of your soil. Such as …

• when plants are showing little to know sign of growth and showing obvious signs of stress or disease.

• when plants appear to need an extra boost.

• when you have only a small amount of compost and widespread poor soil conditions. (Compost tea makes the benefits of compost go farther.)

Compost tea is made almost exactly how it sounds—steeping compost in water. You can apply compost tea to your lawn and/or garden using a pump sprayer, hose-end sprayer or a watering can. First, choose which herb to use in your compost concoction. Athough it's best to use an herb found most common in your garden, not every herb has the nutritional content your lawn needs. Try these herbs, which have a variety of nutritional content:

Russian Comfrey
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• Comfrey: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, C and other trace materials.
• Nettle: vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, phosphorus, potassium, boron, bromine, copper, iron, selenium and zinc.
• Parsley: vitamins A and C, iron, copper and manganese.
• Dandelion: vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium.
• Stinging Nettle: magnesium, sulphur and iron. (You Grow Girl)
• Horsetail: silica. (You Grow Girl)

(Click here to read more about why plants need tea.)

To create your herb tea fertilizer, fill a 5-gallon bucket with your pruned herb of choice and pack it in tightly. (Using a heavy object such as a brick or a stone may help keep the herbs tightly packed.) Next, pour in water until it reaches the top of your container and let the mix sit for a day or two until the leaves break down. Place in direct sunlight and remember to stir every now and then. Strain the mixture and start composting.

(Read The Complete Compost Gardening Guide.)

Have you ever used a liquid tea fertilizer? What herb do you like to use for your herbal concoction? Drop me a comment and let me know!

When I think of summer, images of light blue swimming pools, colorful swimsuits and tall glasses of iced tea pop into my mind. During the summer iced tea is my beverage of choice. Although I like plain iced tea, I also enjoy experimenting with different flavors. Try these three herbal iced tea recipes to add some zest to this summer drink.

For an especially refreshing taste, try this mint iced tea.

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Mint Iced Tea

• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon comfrey
• 1 teaspoon rose petals
• 1 teaspoon uva ursi
• 1 teaspoon spearmint
• 1 teaspoon peppermint

1. Bring water to a simmer and stir in herbs, either loose or in a reusable tea bag. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, no longer than 5 minutes. After 5 minutes the tea becomes bitter.

2. Strain and chill the tea until cool. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint.

For a tart, flavorful drink try this ruby iced tea.

Ruby Iced Tea  

• 1 cup lemon balm
• 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers
• ½ cup spearmint leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Maple syrup (to taste)

1. Place the herbs, lemon juice and maple syrup into a gallon jar. Fill with boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes.

2. Strain and discard the herbs. Serve over ice garnished with lemon slices.

For a lightly sweetened, tangy taste, try this lemongrass ginger iced tea.

Photo by toastforbrekkie/Courtesy Flickr
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Lemongrass Ginger Iced Tea

• ½ cup sugar
• 7 ½ cups water
• 1 large stalk lemongrass, dry tops and tough outer leaves removed, stalk cut into small rounds (about ¼ cup)
• 1-inch by 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 4 mild black teabags, such as Darjeeling or Assam
• Ice for serving

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemongrass and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to the dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the lemongrass and ginger to steep in the sugar syrup for at least half an hour. For more pronounced flavor, place in the refrigerator and allow to steep several hours or overnight.

2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the teabags, turn off the heat, and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the teabags and discard. Pour the brewed tea into a heat-proof pitcher.

3. Strain the lemongrass ginger syrup through a small sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the solids, and add the syrup to the pitcher of tea. Add three cups of cold water to the tea, and stir well. Serve over ice.

The combinations of flavors of iced tea are endless. Do you have a great herbal iced tea recipe? Feel free to share it with me in the comment section!

References:

Essential Eating A Cookbook: Discover How to Eat, Not Diet by Janie Quinn (Azure Moon Publishing, 2000).

For more herbal iced tea recipes, visit Summer Brew: Iced Tea Recipes Part  1.

It will only get hotter before it starts to cool down, so why not quench your thirst with some homemade iced tea. I’m embracing the heat, here in the Midwest, by making a few iced teas to get me through the summer. (Spiced Tea and Ginger Tea are really simple recipes to make and quite a treat). Brewing your own iced tea is a perfect opportunity to sample some of the herbs you are growing in your garden this summer. Here are a two recipes from Herbal Iced Teas, for you to try in the midst of the summer heat. 

Photo by Cameron Watters/Courtesy Flickr
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All of the recipes given below can easily be brewed in the sun.

Lemon-Hibiscus Tea

Makes 3 quarts

A touch of sassy citrus flavor and a crimson blush make this tea a favorite of children and a festive party beverage.

• 2 quarts water
• 1/4 cup dried jasmine flowers
• 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 4 cups lemonade
• Lemon slices for garnish

1) Fill a container with fresh, cold water, toss in the tea herbs, cover, and set the container in a sunny location for a few hours.

Fresh and Fruity Tea

Makes 2 quarts

This tea has a subtle, delicate flavor. Substitute regular sage for a more robust taste.

• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup fresh pineapple sage leaves
• 1/4 cup dried chamomile flowers
• 1/4 cup dried rose hips
• 1/4 cup chopped lemon zest
• Fresh pineapple sage leaves for garnish

1) Fill a container with fresh, cold water, toss in the tea herbs, cover, and set the container in a sunny location for a few hours.

Have you brewed any iced tea with herbs from your garden? If so, please share by leaving a comment!

www.organixhair.com

I was intrigued with Organix’s Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo and Conditioner from the moment I opened the shampoo bottle to catch a whiff – these products smell amazing. They emit a very powerful, fruity and delicious fragrance and, at the super reasonable price of only $6.99 for each 13-ounce bottle, I found myself wanting to know more about Organix.

Despite its four beauty awards from WWD Beauty Biz, Self Magazine, All You Magazine and Lifetime, I haven’t noticed any phenomenal change in my hair after testing it for over a month. I have, however, enjoyed its enticing smell. The formula is a blend of antioxidant-rich pomegranate and green tea extracts and is targeted towards dry and brittle hair. The use of tea in a hair care treatment is something I’ve read before (Body & Soul: Wake Up Skin and Hair with Refreshing Tea), so I was excited to see this herbal option on the market.

What’s green about this product? Aside from its name, Organix products contain organic active ingredients; sulfate-free formulas; its bottles are manufactured from recycled post-consumer resin; and its compostable labels are printed with eco-friendly inks. However, its use of methylochloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone concerned me. According to the Environmental Working Group, methylochloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone are preservatives that pose as moderate hazards and are linked as immune skin toxicants.

For its reasonable price, however, I would like to look into their other tantalizing scents: Coconut Milk, Mandarin Olive Oil, Tea Tree Mint, Shea Butter, Vanilla Silk, White Tea Grapeseed, Mocha Espresso, Cucumber Yogurt, Lavender Soymilk, Grapefruit Mango Butter and Passionfruit Guava. 

What about you, fellow herbies? What do you think about Organix products? Green enough? Herbal enough? How do you like these hair care reviews? I have one more left and then I’m moving on to bigger and better things.