Smell-Potion Tea

You all know by now how irresistibly inspiring my Garden students are to me. This particular short anecdote is about some 3rd Grade garden girls' simple play which inspired me to make some garden tea.

Meet the infamous Smell Potion. You'll have to imagine this one because they usually disintegrate into "stink" potions before I make it over for a picture. The garden girls love prancing around the garden, picking flowers and herbs, and collecting them into empty glass jars I had collected for projects and have around the garden, not necessarily these projects, but this is what they collect them in.

Rosemary, Lavender flowers, Lavender foliage, Mint, Orange blossoms, Lemon blossoms, Nasturtiums, and Borage, all mixed and proportioned based on the creator's smell preference of creation, in a glass jar with a stick found on the garden ground. With each sniff they decide, a little more mint there, less rosemary here and voila! They share their smells with each other and I. Then they run off to recess and the potions are left in the jars, forgotten and left to decompose (it happens).

We made some for the Garden Stand like a potpourri mixture with cute mesh on top last year. But, move over Potpourri Smell Potion, because I think I have just discovered something better. Smell-Potion Tea. I figured all these flowers and herbs they were harvesting are edible. Some even have health benefits, such as the calming effects of citrus blossoms and lavender, so I decided to dump out the mixtures to dry in the sun on a plate and bundle together in cheesecloth as tea bags. It worked and tasted like the sweet garden in my mouth.  Cheers to my garden girls for the inspiration!

Here's how you can make Smell-Potion Tea yourself:

1. Harvest a variety of edible herbs and flowers such as: Calendulas, Citrus Blossoms (we used orange and lemon), Mint, Lavender (flowers and foliage), Rosemary, Borage, Nasturtiums. Let dry under the sun for at least a day on a plate or any dry surface. If the temperature is warm, one day is all you'll need. You will see everything dry and shrivel up. Don't worry, this is good!

2. If you use a mini-ball and chain tea holder to hold your tea leaves when you steep in water, then you can just put this mixture of dried goodies into a clean, airtight jar. Anytime you want tea, you can add a tablespoon or two into the mini-ball. If you don't have one, but have cheesecloth lying around like I did, you can cut up the cheesecloth and bundle up a few tablespoons of herbs onto piece you cut and tie together. There's really no specific method of tying, just as long as everything stays together. Or, you can buy specific tea bags at the store for this. 




3. Lastly, store your tea bags into a pretty jar. I saved this one for the right occasion. A parent had donated this to the garden when I was looking for jars. I knew I had to save it for something special. It was worth the wait. Coincidentally, her daughter is one of the Smell Potion Makers! 

Now when you are looking for a taste of the garden or just something soothing to curl up and read a book with before bed, take one of these Smell-Potion tea bags and steep in a warm cup of water for at least 3 minutes, or longer if you prefer a stronger cup. 

This is caffeine free and herbal. Always consult with a doctor if you are pregnant or have medical concerns. I didn't add anything extra. I love honey, but this tea had such a soft, subtle sweetness to it, it didn't need anything extra. Try out different combinations of herbs and flowers. 
It's a surprise every time. 






*photos by Tiffanie Ma