Lemon balm has a delicious sweet lemon flavour.

Tisanes or herb teas have been in vogue in southern Europe since Roman times. The fictional detective Hercule Poirot often needed  a tisane after a particularly trying day. Today herb teas are increasing in popularity with the recognition of the harmful effects of too much coffee and ordinary tea. But aren’t herb teas expensive and don’t they taste awful? Not true! Especially if you grow your own, and can experiment with different combinations. Fresh or freshly dried leaves and flowers taste much better than the often musty plant material of questionable content and origin found in shops. Recent research by New York City high school students using simple DNA techniques, found that several herbal teas contain ingredients not listed on the pack. So if you grow and use your own, at least you can be certain about what you are drinking.

Many herbs can be made into tea but some have unpleasant flavours and others have potent medicinal properties which can be harmful if used in the wrong way.  The herbs described below are safe to drink but, as with all food and beverage, moderation is the key — don’t drink any one herb too often or in too much abundance.

The Herbs

Lemon grass need a well-drained position and plenty of water in hot weather.

Lemon verbena leaves dry well and keep their flavour for many years.

Lemon flavoured teas are probably the most popular and can be drunk hot or cold. Of the three most popular herbs — lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon grass; lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is the easiest to grow. Start it from seed or rooted pieces detached from a clump and it will thrive in any sunny, well-drained position. Often it will self sow around the garden ensuring an abundant supply, pick the leaves as needed and use fresh. Cut back the clump in autumn once the flowers are finished. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) grows as a small tree which is deciduous in cold climates. It is most easily grown from tip cuttings taken in late spring and the whole plant needs to be cut back by two thirds in early spring. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a native of more tropical regions. It needs plenty of moisture in summer and very good drainage in winter. It won’t tolerate heavy frosts but will survive moderately cold winters as long as it is not too wet.
Delicious fragrant teas can also be made from all the mints, perhaps the most refreshing being peppermint (Mentha x piperita). Mints are best grown in big tubs where they can’t take over the garden. A good potting mix, a shady corner and a hard prune after flowering are all they need. Peppermint tea drunk at night increases alertness but doesn’t stop you from going to sleep in the way coffee often will.

Chamomile tea eases stress and tension

Annual chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita) made into a tea will be remembered by many readers who were given it as children when they had toothache, headache or stomach pains. It is a gentle relaxant and sedative but is unfortunately unpalatable to some people. The flavour improves with familiarity, but you can try mixing it with lemon balm which has similar properties, and a little honey, to mask the flavour. Chamomile is grown from seed and the flowers harvested as soon as they appear. The flowers can be used fresh or dried.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) make interesting anise flavoured teas. Dill is grown from seed planted in spring in any sheltered sunny corner, while fennel is a noxious weed in many regions so it should be collected from the wild. If this is not possible try planting the bronze form which is more decorative and not so invasive. The seed and leaves of both these plants are used to make a tea that is particulary good for indigestion and flatulence and helps to sweeten the breath.

Bronze fennel is less weedy than green fennel and the bronze leaves look great with orange flowers in the garden.

Dill with silverbeet

Several of the classic mediterranean herbs also make tasty and healthy teas. These include rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) , sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). All these plants need sun and well drained soil. Thyme in particular does not like to be cold and wet in winter.
Drying the Herbs

Herbs drying, in a dry airy position out of direct sunlight.

I much prefer herbs for tea if they are fresh, but some are not available all year round so need to be dried. To dry herbs harvest them early in the morning just after the dew has dried from the leaves and hang in bunches in a cool airy place out of direct light. Flowers and small leaves are best dried spread on paper in a similar position, while seed drys well in paper bags. Once dry, seal the plant material into jars or plastic bags, label clearly with the name of the plant and date of harvest and store out of direct light. Check a couple of days later to ensure there is no condensation inside the jar or bag. If there is,  then the herb is not completely dry. Remove it and leave out to dry for a few more days. Don’t keep dried herbs for more than twelve months as after this the flavour begins to deteriorate.

Fresh lemon balm for this tisane

Making the Tea
To make herb tea, first warm the pot,  then add the fresh or dried leaves, pour boiling water over the top and leave to stand for up to five minutes. The longer the tea is left to brew the stronger the flavour will be. The tea can also be made in a cup and poured through a strainer, or a stainless steel infuser can be used. Milk is never added to herb teas.

Refer to the list for the medicinal properties of each herb and have fun experimenting with the different flavours.

The delicate yellow dill flowers attract beneficial insects.

Dill, Anethum graveolens, is a delightful tall annual herb that grows to about 1 m from a taproot, with a single stem and many feathery blue-green leaves and branches. These are topped by groups of umbrella-shaped flower heads made up of small yellow flowers. The flowers are followed by flat, oval, brown seeds, which self-sow readily if left on the plant. Dill is probably one of the oldest medicinal herbs. It was used by the Egyptians before 3000 BC. The name dill is found in several old European languages, reflecting its widespread use, but its derivation is unclear. In medieval times, dill developed a reputation for protecting anyone who carried it against witches. It was a common ingredient in potions and spells and English country brides would wear a sprig of dill on their wedding day, while in Germany, a bride would put dill and salt in her shoes to bring her good luck. By the beginning of the seventeenth century dill was grown in many countries all over the world because it was known as ‘a gallant expeller of wind’.

Sowing, growing, harvesting
Grow dill from seed sown preferably in spring where the plants are to grow, as they do not transplant well. In warm weather, the plants will mature in about seven weeks, so small numbers of seeds will need to be planted every few weeks to be sure of a constant supply of fresh leaves. Dill grows in most well-drained soils and likes full sun. Dill tastes best if you pick the leaves just before use but if they have to be picked earlier, store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. I never bother to dry dill as the leaves don’t hold their flavour well when dried. But the seed is well worth drying. Harvest seed just as it starts to turn from green to brown. Dry by hanging upside down in bunches with the seed heads covered by paper bags.� Once the seeds are completely dry they will have dropped into the bottom of the bags. Dill and fennel are similar to look at but the leaves of dill are more blue-green, and the flavour of fennel is more strongly aniseed.

Remedies
The ground or gently bruised seed is the part generally used and it has wide range of uses. Chew the seeds to sweeten the breath. Ground seeds, added to a biscuit mixture for teething babies to chew on, are very soothing. Give a diluted, strained infusion made from the seeds to soothe colic. If drunk by nursing mothers the effect will be passed on to babies through the milk as well as increasing milk flow. Dill also helps with acidity, indigestion and flatulence in adults. Drink an infusion made from the seeds to calm and tone the digestive system, ease indigestion and acidity and reduce flatulence.

Eating
Try adding a few dill leaves to your next sandwich. It goes really well with cucumber and fish like tuna or salmon. Also add fresh leaves to dip, salads, soups and stir fries. It makes a decorative garnish too. The seeds are added to a range of different spice mixes as well as breads and preserves and pickles.

Dill pickle

Dill pickle

3 small firm cucumbers
2 handfuls of fresh dill leaves
50 g coarse salt
1 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
half a teaspoon mustard seed
4 cups water
half a cup white wine vinegar
clean medium-sized screw-top jar
1) Wash and dry the cucumbers and place them with the dill in the refrigerator while you prepare the vinegar mixture.
2) Place the salt, dill seed, peppercorns, mustard seed, water and vinegar into the saucepan. Bring to the boil, simmer for 3 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
3) Place the jar in the oven (remove any rubber seals first) and heat to 180°C, leave for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the jar to cool.
4) Remove the cucumbers and dill from the refrigerator, slice the cucumber into thick slices, about 5 mm, and roughly tear the dill into smaller pieces. Pack the cucumber and dill into the jar in alternate layers.
5) Pour the vinegar, spice and water mixture over the top. Make sure that the cucumbers are completely covered and that all the spices are tipped into the jar. Discard any excess liquid.
6) Seal tightly and leave to sit in a cool, dark position for about 3 weeks before opening. Once the jar has been opened keep it in the refrigerator.

This recipe is from my book Growing Easy Herbs for Beauty Fragrance and Flavour