Here on the farm, we have an abundance of local plants that we can make tea with. We have been experimenting with lots of different leaves recently. I tried to grow green tea plants (Camellia sinensis), but the flavor is much different when it is not grown at elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can imagine, a tropical rainforest is a great place for unique plants and many of these can be turned into tasty teas! Here are some of the ones we have tried on the farm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chamomile:<\/strong> Locally known as Manzanillo, it is used primarily as a sleepy-tea. It is very popular globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cranberry Hibiscus: <\/strong>This tea gets its name from the burgundy-leaves, which are reminiscent of cranberries. The resulting tea is sour, so it is good to mix with a natural sweetener, honey or stevia are great options.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flor de Jamaica:<\/strong> It is quite similar to the cranberry hibiscus. It is a cherished plant here in Costa Rica and makes a beautiful tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ginger:<\/strong> You can make a lovely tea with the Ginger root. It is an incredibly healthy and useful plant. It has a host of benefits and is said to aid digestion and calm the stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lemongrass:<\/strong> These long and fragrant leaves make a brilliantly unique tea. To make, just cut the leaves and tie them in a knot. Boil in hot water for a few minutes and serve.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hibiscus: <\/strong>Another very popular tea worldwide, hibiscus leaves make a tart tea. One of the local hairdressers claims that hibiscus tea if applied daily, may reduce or even reverse baldness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Juanilama: <\/strong>The Juanilama plant produces leaves that are great for both digestion and relaxation. A great tea to have after dinner, and before bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mint: <\/strong>Another popular tea globally, mint leaves can be made on their own, or added to elevate other teas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spearmint: <\/strong>More commonly known to be added to mojitos, this herb also makes a lovely tea. Much like mint, it can be mixed with other leaves to make a more complex drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stevia: <\/strong>You have probably heard of stevia, the natural sweetener. It is an incredible plant. Much sweeter than sugar, and sometimes with a slightly bitter aftertaste.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Give it a try!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend trying combinations of these teas, and they are great iced! One of our favorites is an iced tea with lemongrass, ginger, and stevia, delicious!\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here on the farm, we have an abundance of local plants that we can make tea with. We have been experimenting with lots of different leaves recently. I tried to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plants","category-recipes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awakenretreats.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}