"The Herbal Tea Garden"

Over the weekend I read "The Herbal Tea Garden" by Marietta Marshall Marcin, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I've had it for a while but when I started to read it last summer, I realized I had missed out on using the spring planting tips, so I re-shelved the book and vowed to read it early this year. Now, I am armed with a shopping list of new herbs I plan to try as well as some great ideas for planting and using them!

Marcin is clear about the fact that herbal teas are not camellia sinensis, the tea plant we are all familiar with, but she notes that herbal teas too have been brewed for thousands of years. If you've never grown herbs before, she provides a wealth of information to get you started, from soil preparation and the merits of using seeds vs. plants to dividing and transplanting herbs. There are also some lovely illustrations of herbal tea garden designs, including one for a three-herb knot garden.

Most helpful, however, is the "Compendium of Herbs" in which she provides detailed information for 70 herbs. She lists the common and generic names as well as alternative names that have been used for the herb. She describes each plant's height, soil and light needs, propagation and care, which part is used for tea, the taste, and how to brew the herb. I learned of two herbs which when prepared are said to taste similar to Chinese tea: Labrador Tea and New Jersey Tea. Labrador Tea, while drunk by the Eskimos and Indians of eastern Canada, comes with a caution since drinking more than a cup or two can cause drowsiness and possible poisoning! New Jersey Tea, however, is one I definitely hope to try. This tea is also sometimes called Liberty Tea because after the Boston Tea Party and during the American Revolution, it was used by those who were protesting the British taxes on Chinese tea. These were just a few of the many things I learned from "The Herbal Tea Garden," and I think anyone who drinks herbal teas would enjoy reading it!