Wild Tea

[lbean]

I never thought about staying away from roads but now that I think about it I can see why that would make sense. All kinds of things get washed down hill.

[northernbushape]

Originally Posted by SallyA

I grew up in a family that raised pine trees for Christmas trees and I never heard of pine needle tea until tonight. Will any pine needles work or only certain types of pines?

Pretty much any pine will have similar properties.

[jnagel32]

I have had pine needle tea when I was in Alaska...not great, not bad. Felt like drinking something warm and I had ran out of coffee, so I did it to add a little flavor to the water.

[Jobiwan]

Sumac makes a great tea. Just make sure that the fruits (drupes) are red or pink, this means it's either Smooth Sumac or Staghorn Sumac. If the drupes are like white berries it's Poison Sumac which obviously you would want to leave alone. Simply steep to desired strength, sweeten and enjoy. It's got an apple like tartness with hues of lemon.

[trapperearl]

There is a book out that lists almost every wild eatable in north America. It was a book I was required to study and learn in a life long ago. There is a section on just teas and boiled plants for all uses. It also will help with identifiers for almost any eatable plant here or abroad as I have used them on 6 different continents to identify eatable plants and wild flowers. it also helps with wild medicinals


the book is:
Stalking The Wild Asparagus

By:Euell Gibbons

[Jade]

Does the book include fauna from the Pacific Northwest and north of there?

The title of the book made me giggle, I'm a fan of something called 'sea asparagus'.

The only teas I know to safely make are dog-rose, fern, and berry ones.

[trapperearl]

No, this book strictly covers eatables in north America. there are other books if you want to know about the wildlife of the area, they are more area specific. since the flora is a little more diverse than the fauna, this book is a good field guide if you can read and understand the explanations because this book has all hand sketches with few actual pictures it relies on the readers ability to use the tools taught in the book to identify the eatables and to stay away from the poisonous plants which are also identified in the book. It also lists plants that look alike or are easily mistaken and gives good identifiers for the differences

[Refrigerator]

Yes this is one of the best books out there. Highly recommended.

[Ms. Nibbles]

I've never heard of pine needle tea even though I grew up in an area where we had lots of pine trees. If you happen to be in an area where there are wild blackberry bushes, you can drink blackberry leaf tea. Just drop in a couple of leafs that have been washed and pour boiling water over it. Add honey or sugar.

[dinosaur]

I'm from the Midwest. We have pines here but we also have Sassafras. If you dig out away from the tree until you find a root, cut one about as big around as your finger. It will be feet long. Wash it, dry it, cut into small chunks and toss it into boiling water. Cover and let it steep. Excellent stuff.

Other beverages can be made from wild plants but they take a bit longer. Chamomile flowers can be harvested and dried. Also peppermint and spearmint grow wild. You harvest the stalks, dry them and then crush the leaves. Any and all of the above can be blended together for a varied taste. If you want a bit of spice, wild ginger root can be dried and crushed into the mix.

And then there's my personal favorite, chicory. This plant will find itself into the desert. It grows wild alongside almost every road all the way up to the frost line. I doubt you'll find it in Death Valley, but just about everywhere else. The base of this plant looks like a dandelion but instead of a tubular shaft with a multipetaled yellow flower, it grows stalks that reach 3 to 5 feet in height with 3 to 6 pretty blue flowers about an inch in diameter. When you see a good stand of them, get a shovel. You want the roots about the thickness of your pinky finger or bigger. Wash them and let them dry. You can roast them over a fire but I just put them in the oven at about 275. Don't over roast. The skin should turn a very dark brown. The inside will crystalize and be black. You can crush them with a mortar and pestle, but I just put them in a coffee grinder. The pioneers in this country used this as a coffee substitute. I like to blend it with my coffee. It enhances the flavor and aroma providing a richness to the brew. There are plenty of gourmet coffee shops that will gladly charge you an exorbitant price for this blend. But you can buy the cheapest Java on the shelf and do it yourself with excellent results.

Oh yeah, I did mention dandelions didn't I? The leaves are edible as a lettuce substitute or cooked for meal greens but we're talking about beverages. Anyone want to know how to make dandelion wine?