Guest guest Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 I would use as much as you think would equal half of the weight at the black, green or white tea you choose. See how you like it & then increase or decrease the amount as you like it. God Bless Skye Audrey wrote: I have a nice large lemon verbena plant growing and dried a little bit of the leaves to make tea and flavorings with, but am wondering how many leaves would I use to make with kombucha tea, would it need to be with black or probly green would taste better, or none? Audrey --------------------------------- Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2006 Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 As a nursery family member, I'd very definitely advise you to wash the leaves, carefully with a soft wash cloth by hand. Good old vinegar can be the next to last rinse, then plain, clean water. I grow some of my own herbs, and since my car gets dirty just sitting in the front of the house, I'd guess plants also get that same amount of dirt, dust, and whatever else is blowing in on the wind. Pat in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2006 Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 Hi Skye, Well I doubt it is organic where I purchased the plant, but I did not spray anything on it, It has been in a pot outside though, so should I wash the leaves first, then dry them?? Audrey <snippet>> > I would use as much as you think would equal half of the weight at the black, green or white tea you choose. See how you like it & then increase or decrease the amount as you like it. > > God Bless > Skye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 >As a nursery family member, I'd very definitely >advise you to wash the leaves, carefully with a >soft wash cloth by hand. Good old vinegar >can be the next to last rinse, then plain, clean >water. I'd reverse this. The vinegar is fine to go into the KT, and it's better than the water. Also for washing salad greens, veggies for steaming/wokking, etc. --V ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ --A.J. Muste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi Pat, So to add the leaves fresh for flavoring, or dried in partial replacement of the tea? Audrey <snippet>> > As a nursery family member, I'd very definitely > advise you to wash the leaves, carefully with a > soft wash cloth by hand. Good old vinegar > can be the next to last rinse, then plain, clean > water. I grow some of my own herbs, and since > my car gets dirty just sitting in the front of the > house, I'd guess plants also get that same amount > of dirt, dust, and whatever else is blowing in on > the wind. > Pat in CA > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi V, Thanks, I agree. Audrey <snippet> > > I'd reverse this. The vinegar is fine to go into the KT, and it's better > than the water. Also for washing salad greens, veggies for > steaming/wokking, etc. > > --V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 > > So to add the leaves fresh for flavoring, or dried in partial > replacement of the tea? > Audrey > ------------------------------------------------------ When I make mint tea, I just use the fresh leaves, freshly washed. You are putting it in hot water, just like you make regular tea, and then you take it out after brewing, like the tea bags. So, in this case, I think I would simply use the fresh leaves. You could dry some for winter, of course, and use them then as dried. It's nice that you have your own supply, in case you develop a real taste for this flavor. Try lots of herbs, some of them might surprise you at how well they marry with our dear Kombucha's flavor. Pat in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 > > So to add the leaves fresh for flavoring, or dried in partial > > replacement of the tea? > > Audrey Audrey you can do it either way, but remember that there are always concerns about what a particular herb may do to the culture if you ferment with the herb rather than adding it to the bottles afterward. So if you do ferment with herbs, pretty much everyone agrees that you must take care to reserve a vessel for brewing that does not have any additives. If you add some leaves of the herb to the bottles when you decant and let those age a bit, whether on the shelf or in the refrigerator, you'll also get an herbal beverage. The KT is so acidic that it definitely is extractive of herbal essences when given the chance. --V ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ --A.J. Muste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 One more thing on this subject, which is, fresh leaves are almost always preferred over dried for medicinal value. Some things do need to be dried to potentize them in certain ways, but if you have the choice for typical kitchen tincturing or flavorings, fresh is better. So either way, fermenting with or adding later, I'd say by all means use fresh. > > > So to add the leaves fresh for flavoring, or dried in partial > > > replacement of the tea? > > > Audrey --V ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ --A.J. Muste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Hi, V Thank you for your input. I was mainly concerned about making a regular hot tea to drink, or for bottling, but was curious about making the kombucha cultured with it. Audrey <snippet> > Audrey you can do it either way, but remember that there are always > concerns about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Hi V, Yes, that is one reason I was asking which way to do it, fresh or dried. Would you know for this one? Audrey <snippet>> > One more thing on this subject, which is, fresh leaves are almost always > preferred over dried for medicinal value. Some things do need to be dried > to potentize them in certain ways, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Fresh, Audrey. Regular Western herbs and kitchen herbs are almost all best used fresh if using the leaves/flowers. It's usually only some roots and more rare substances like medicinal mushrooms etc in Chinese herbal medicine that have specific protocols for drying and preparation. For leaves/flowers, drying is generally just a way to preserve them for later use, if someone has access to fresh that is best. --V >Hi V, >Yes, that is one reason I was asking which way to do it, fresh or >dried. Would you know for this one? >Audrey ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ --A.J. Muste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Hi V, Thanks for all your help. I just wanted to be sure and ask. Do I take from the top of bottom of the plant and if drying for the winter how much can I take off? Audrey > <snippet> > Fresh, Audrey. Regular Western herbs and kitchen herbs are almost all best > used fresh if using the leaves/flowers. It's usually only some roots and > more rare substances like medicinal mushrooms etc in Chinese herbal > medicine that have specific protocols for drying and preparation. For > leaves/flowers, drying is generally just a way to preserve them for later > use, if someone has access to fresh that is best. --V > > >Hi V, > >Yes, that is one reason I was asking which way to do it, fresh or > >dried. Would you know for this one? > >Audrey > > > ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ > --A.J. Muste > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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