September 19, 2014
September 21st is the International Day of Peace. This “day” was established in 1981 to promote the concept of peace throughout the world through education and social events that highlight ways to bring peace to our planet. The United Nations also makes an effort to promote, to warring nations, the observance of a cease fire on this day so humanitarian aid can be supplied. At noon on the 21st there is a moment of silence for meditation and to contemplate offering peace outward. This year’s theme is the “Right of Peoples to Peace” which supports the UN’s resolution towards peace and “recognizes that the promotion of peace is vital for the full enjoyment of all human rights.” There are many ways to encourage peace in ourselves, our communities […]
September 2, 2014
September 3rd is the anniversary of the birth of Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, and the woman credited with creating the tradition of afternoon tea. While tea drinking in England, and meals with tea, certainly existed before Anna was born, she has been credited as the inventor of this pastime for a few reasons. Anna Russell was born into a prominent family, both in terms of wealth and their position in society. She was a great friend to Queen Victoria and as such held an influential position in society herself. The ritual of afternoon tea began when the dinner meal in England started to be served later in the evening (around 8 pm). The time between lunch and dinner was so long that people began having a […]
August 20, 2014
Blueberry season is slowly dwindling to a close unfortunately but hopefully you were able to get out and pick some of these delicious berries to eat and to freeze. I recently went blueberry picking on a lovely summer morning and picked 6 quarts. Yum! The farm handed out a recipe booklet when we left and, among the tasty treats they wrote about, I found this muffin recipe. It’s incredibly delicious and I hope you enjoy them! Ingredients: 1 1/2 tsp gingerbread tea 1 cup water 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup molasses 1/2 cup oil (canola, sunflower…) 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) Preheat oven to […]
August 6, 2014
We all know that the best cup of tea starts with good water. If your water contains chlorine or heavy minerals, it’ll be impossible to achieve the tastiest tea brew. I am fortunate that I have access to clean, delicious water at home and at work. Most of the time I take it for granted. When I turn on the tap, I expect that I’ll receive decent, healthy water. Every once and awhile though we need to step back and look at these things we take for granted. Imagine if when I turned on the water I did not enjoy good water. Imagine that when I turned on the taps brown water came out, or water with harmful chemicals, or bad tasting water . Imagine if I turned […]
July 10, 2014
Are you like me? Do you still have rhubarb in your fridge that is waiting for you to decide what sweet it will end up in … crisp, pie, jam? Our friend Kat, the lovely kindhearted Ms. Katness, has brought us lots of goodies this Spring – asparagus, rhubarb, wonderful baked treats! I’ve already made 2 pies with the rhubarb but I was looking for something new. I voiced my desire one night in a restaurant and a man named Johnny Carr said he had just the thing. Off he went to his truck and came in with his mother’s hand written recipe for Rhubarb “Tea”! Johnny said the tea was so good that he made photo copies of her recipe to hand out to people he’d meet. […]
July 3, 2014
Well it’s the heat of Summer again, which means my garden is going crazy and my herbs are ready to pick. I’m sure I’m not alone in my love of fresh dried herbs during the winter months. I don’t know where I read this but I found a great article last year on a homesteading website about drying herbs. It worked so well I thought I should pass it along. Pick your herbs in the morning when the flavor is at its maximum. I like to cut long stems of herbs so they hold together better when drying. Place the herbs on a mesh screen. If I’m drying a small leafed herb (like dill) I place a broiler pan or cookie sheet under the screen. Then place the […]
May 26, 2014
I have to confess, when prompted to try a recipe for tea jello, I wasn’t sure I was interested. I’m a vegetarian, so the thought of a dessert with gelatin was not appealing. However, a quick search on the internet showed me that a vegetarian option was really quite easy. So off I went to the store and bought agar-agar to make this dessert. Fun Agar facts: It sets at room temperature Agar makes you feel full, so it may be helpful to consume when dieting It’s not from an animal! I found quite a few fun websites with jello recipes. One, The Jello Mold Mistress , has beautiful looking recipes. Most are not vegetarian, but I’m sure they can be adapted, and the ones that are vegetarian […]
April 11, 2014
I finally flipped over the calendar to April and realized that Spring is upon us and Easter will be here soon. So I let my fingers do the walking through some search engines to find information on tea dyed eggs. We love hard-boiled eggs in my house, so why not tea color them for extra fun! The first site I came across had some great information about different foods you can use to dye eggs. It’s called Natural Easter Egg Dyes. Perfect! There was definitely enough information to start me on the path! I subsequently found the All Natural Easter Egg Dyes page from Better Homes & Gardens. Also great information! So I hardboiled a dozen eggs. We found that the best way to do this is: Place […]
March 28, 2014
We’re excited to be launching our latest beautifully packaged line of herbal tisanes …. Our Herbal Wellness line. This line of 12 tisanes contains 6 of our most popular Wellness blends along with 6 new concoctions. Our line of Herbal Benefits blends are: Detox Pomegranate Detox Echinacea Blend Energy Moonlight Snooze Men’s Herbal Tonic Women’s Herbal Tonic Sniffle Slayer Tonsil Tamer Lemon Tonsil Tamer Calm Turmeric Ginger Citrus As with all herbal tisanes that we sell, we recommend that everyone research the herbs themselves and definitely check with your doctor prior to drinking, especially if you have a specific health concern or are taking medication. It’s easy to think that because it’s “just a plant” it is safe for use all the time regardless of one’s medical history. […]
March 3, 2014
The internet is amazing. There are all sorts of things you can find. For instance, did you know about some of the holidays and days of importance in March? Of course, we have Fat Tuesday & Ash Wednesday (although these don’t always fall in March), the Ides of March, St Patrick’s Day, and the First day of Spring. But here are a few you may not have heard about…. March 3rd is I Want you to be Happy Day! Well that’s awesome! I think that’s the perfect holiday to share a cup of tea with a loved one. Or take a friend out for tea. Or, for long distance friends, raise a cup of tea in their honor and maybe send them an email, a letter, or give […]