Time for tea

 Each year around this time, my beautiful tea Camellia begins putting on new growth, and it's time to harvest the first flush of leaves! Last fall I pruned my Sochi Camellia, which increases the number of new leaves to harvest.

Over a decade ago, my friend Nikki and I began growing Sochi Camellia sinensis. The most northern tea, this variety grows in Sochi Russia near the Black Sea, and is well suited to our latitude at nearly 45° N. 

It is both aromatic and frost Hardy. While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower) its mature leaves are about the size of those on my ornamental Camellia. I dry some of the flowers in January which can be used for a light and fragrant tea. 

CODEX with tea Camellia blossom

Several years ago, Nikki invited me over for a tea party, both teaching me the process, and sharing afternoon tea from a previous harvest when finished. She sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves we pluckedfrom her bushes, which I augmented with leaves from my own for a second batch. 

It is such a satisfying process, and I'm always struck by the fragrance of the leaves as they dry. As this Camellia association article notes, few people realize that whenever they sit down with a cup of green, black or white tea, the brew comes from Camellia leaves! 

Camellia sinensis Sochi

High in antioxidants, especially catechins, green tea is preventative for cancers, lowers the risk of stroke, and helps control blood sugar. In Okinawa Japan, one of the "Blue Zones" for longevity, drinking several cups of green tea daily was common. They often added jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric for shan-pien, "tea with a bit of scent."

Harvest - 24 hour rest

The leaves are resting in three baskets, and around 3:30 this afternoon, I'll begin the next steps of the process, which you can find here and here.

Do you grow herbs you use for herbal Tea? I have a number of those as well, and enjoy their medicinal qualities and varying flavors.

Snowdrop essence and Intention

 

Snowdrop Essence - set your intention!

Before enlightenment, 

Chop wood, carry water

After enlightenment

Chop wood, carry water 

Attention to the small

As we chart our course.

Spring is an excellent time to refresh and renew, body, mind, spirit and emotions. Many traditions invite spring fasts or cleanses, as a reset from less activity and heavier foods of winter.

As spring flowers begin to emerge, I eagerly awaited my Snowdrops' bloom! During the Angel Cafe in November, Sarah Estelle mentioned Snowdrop as part of a favorite trio for aligning with our divine feminine energy. It is also associated with poultry, innocence and simplicity. 

Snowdrop welcomes energy into our crown and into the heart, and provides impetus to "set intention and rewrite our future." I was delighted to find the clumps under one of my apple trees in bloom, and make Snowdrop essence on the weekend! 

I put some of the left over essence water into a couple of mister bottles, following Sarah Estelle's suggestion of using it this way each morning to help set intention. Like her mama, mine loved blooming spring bulbs.

When I lived in the Breitenbush community, I often gave myself the gift of a day off after  a workshop. It was so nourishing to have time for integration, introspection, logging insights, practicing new techniques, receiving bodywork, and soaking in the hot mineral water!  I was grateful for the organic vegetarian, meals and herbal tea that were our daily fare & often made myself a flower essence bouquet to support my process and integration. 

Snowdrop would be a wonderful addition to a workshop bouquet. Another of our spring beauties, Camas, helps integrate intuitive and logical processes, and harmonize methods of learning. Tea Camellia, the "Ancient One, rooted in timeless beginnings, brings stillness, connection to one's true self, and provides a mirror for self reflection."

At times, we may experience a mountaintop breakthrough, either in life, or during a workshop. We see new possibilities shining... It's so beautiful to have that reference point of being so completely present - then, how do we integrate and implement shifts?

It can help to remember our tools for grounding, centering, and to continue our favorite daily practices wherever we are! Selenite is a great travelling companion - sweep your aura, do self Reiki, smudge the room, ground yourself. Maybe have a favorite herbal tea and breathe the stream ...

Some of my favorites are Qigong, flower essences, doing a creative practice, music, prioritizing local organic fare - so fortunate to have a year round farmers market! And Dark chocolate is my favorite treat!)

Sending blessings of spring, and Snowdrop flower essence, to Rewrite your future!   

Tea Season

It's tea season, and a couple of days ago I harvested a batch of Sochi Camellia sinensis, and processed a batch of tea. It is such a satisfying process, and I'm always struck by the fragrance of the leaves as they dry. As this Camellia association article notes, few people realize that whenever they sit down with a cup of green, black or white tea, the brew comes from Camellia leaves! 

Last year, my friend Nikki invited me over for a tea party, both teaching me the process, and sharing cups of her beautiful tea. She sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves we harvested from her bushes, which I augmented with leaves from my own for a second batch. 

Camellia sinensis Sochi

Nikki and I both grow the variety from Sochi Russia, which is on the Black Sea, and the "most Northern tea," very aromatic and frost Hardy. While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower) It's leaves are about the size of my ornamental Camellia. The flowers can also be used for a light and fragrant tea.

High in antioxidants, especially catechins, green tea is preventative for cancers, lowers the risk of stroke, and helps control blood sugar. In Okinawa Japan, one of the "Blue Zones" for longevity, drinking several cups of green tea daily was common. They often added jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric for shan-pien, "tea with a bit of scent."

Harvest - 24 hour rest

It's been rainy, so I needed to await a break in the weather to pick the tip 2-3 leaves into a basket. These leaves are still soft, and rest in the basket for 24 hours, with an occasional toss.

In the wok

The next step is done in the wok, I used round salad fork and spoon to gently stir and keep the leaves from browning in a "stir-fry green" process.

Turned out onto a well washed cotton kitchen cloth, the leaves are tossed till kool, then bundled into a ball and kneaded to lightly crush and oxygenate. Meantime, the oven is heating to 400°

Ready to knead

After kneading

When the oven reaches 400°, the leaves are spread on a baking sheet or pan, and baked for 3 minutes, removed from the oven and spread on the cloth. This is repeated for 2 minutes, then 1 minute, and the leaves gently tossed between each round in the oven. 

After first round in the oven

Third round

With each round of the process, the leaves get drier and change color, retaining a green tint. The fragrance is a lovely light floral, rather like Jasmine. 

Drying on the rack

Now the leaves are drying on a rack, and I toss them occasionally. When they reach the crispy dry state, I'll store them in a wide mouthed jar, with parchment paper under the lid, in a dark cupboard. This time, I separated some of the stem pieces, and baked a bit longer for kukicha or twig tea. 

#greentea #permaculture #longevity

Tea Time

My first tea Camellia

I began growing tea Camellias over a decade ago, with pink and white flowered plants which lasted several years. I later found the variety from Sochi, Russia, (near the Black Sea) which does better in our more Northern clime, and my shrub is 6-8 years old. 

My British friend Nikki has a "plantation" of 9 tea Camellias in her city garden, which is a lovely mix of ornamental and edibles. Last week she mentioned beginning this year's tea harvest, and I asked how she processes it, she responded by inviting me over for Tea and a lesson! Nikki is a Brit, with roots in Belgium, and loves her tea! 

Several years ago, Nikki attended a varietal tasting with a Tea Master, was entranced with the different flavors. When nearby Red Ridge Farms, where we purchased our tea plants, offered a workshop for processing green tea at home, she was in! The teacher had lived in China with his wife while she studied acupuncture, and learned from Chinese tea masters, and gave a step by step process suitable for small batches.

Our tea time yesterday began the afternoon before, when Nikki plucked sprigs of the top two or 

Harvesting of tea in China, Tao of Tea

three leaves from several tea shrubs, which she prunes in the fall to produce a tea harvesting "table." My own plant is "wild grown," not pruned, so pruning next fall is on my list!

When I arrived, she brought out the basket of leaves which had wilted overnight, and were ready for the next step, placing the leaves in a wok on high heat, and tossing gently for a bit. Nikki asked me to bring old well washed cotton cloths, and we tipped the leaves onto a square, twisted the ends to form a ball, and rolled / kneeded the tea, while the oven heated to 400°

The next step was several rounds in the oven, in flat pans, then tipping back on the cloths to cool down in between rounds. (3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute) Each stage includes gently tossing and handling the tea. 
One of the magic bits is how fragrant this fresh tea is as it begins to dry, with a flowery, almost Jasmine odor! Who knew? After the last round, we left the tea on the cloths, while we headed out to the garden, and "plucked" a new batch of tea tips! It sprinkled earlier in the afternoon, we were grateful the sun was back out, and the tea wasn't too damp.

Freshly harvested tea leaves

She'd had me bring a basket without a handle for this step, and we plucked into the basket, tossing the tea leaves frequently. This tossing will continue today, (the leaves are already getting fragrant!) and I'll prepare a second batch this afternoon, on my own! 

After gathering some garden goodies for me, lettuce, artichokes, herbs, ... we came back inside, and had a lovely tea, sipping a brew from leaves she harvested and processed just this week, in glass tea cups from Belgium, which a cousin sent! 
Our tea included thyroid healthy snacks suggested by Medical Medium Anthony William: four banana slices topped with red dulse, several celery slices and a date, (and a bit of dark chocolate just for fun!) 

It was a lovely afternoon, and I'm looking forward to my own adventures in tea making! 

Tea on the drying racks