So for years I've tried to like drinking tea. Honest.
But sadly, I'm still stuck at the point where, if I dump in enough sugar and cream, I can tolerate a cup at the occasional tea party (where tea is the only drink served).
Anyway, last week I read in an old-fashioned cookbook that you should only buy the amount of tea which you will use in two or three weeks. After that, it'll go stale and not taste as delicious (as if it ever could. heh. I couldn't resist. Sorry.).
Well, I thought, "So much for all my 8-year-old good-intentioned boxes of tea! Guess I may as well toss them in the trash."
But just in time I came across this wonderful gardening book: Yankee Magazine's Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, And More--for the Garden. What a fun tips-for-gardening book! Always, I've appreciated gardening books which skip all the long-winded whys, philosophies and Latin names of plants--and instead--just tell me what to do. The shorter the sentences, the better.
And this book told me to put leftover tea bags in my flower pots to give nutrients, nitrogen and organic matter to my flowering plants. Cool!
So after years of wishing I could make homey-looking sun tea in a jar on the porch like my neighbors, yesterday I made my first batch of sun tea--for my flowers. Tea, tea bags, and all. Those ancient tea bags I nearly threw away? I included those.
So now I get to make sun tea like the other kids on the block. Ah, simple pleasures.
I highly recommend the aforementioned fun book (wait till you see their ideas for coffee!). You'll find hundreds of hints on how to reuse household throw-away stuff and make your garden more lush, beautiful and a much more fun place to hang-out.
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I'll be making sun tea for my flowers this afternoon, Debra! Sometimes I think you are "raiding" my brain when you write! I do enjoy tea (not as much as coffee!) but like you, I'm guilty of buying oodles of tea just because it comes in cute packages that look good on my countertops. But I have some tea that's way older than eight years and your post has given me permission to put it to good use. (I still might keep the cute empty boxes and tins! But then again, since I'll be out of tea by this afternoon, I may have to see what other cute tea the grocery store has to offer.)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love the illustrations you use on your blog, but are you aware that it's been over two weeks since you posted a real live Debra's-darling-house photo! I hope you painted something or rearranged a room or went garage-saling this weekend so we can enjoy the fruits of your labors!
Deb~
www.kansasprairiegarden.blogspot.com
Interesting idea...my fil says it is good to put coffee grounds on your garden too...have not tried it yet.
ReplyDeleteActually I do love sun tea...but make ours in the fridge. And now at my age and health, it bothers me some to drink regular tea. But you can drink herbal teas...we love raspberry zinger tea (Celestial tea company) and if you get some kind of berry juice and add about half and half of each...it makes a FINE drink, plus you are stretching the yummy berry juice costwise and also calorie wise. We only do this with company...so as not to drink too many calories the rest of the time. Just an idea you might try. Also using lemon zinger as half the tea bags with half being raspberry zinger is also pleasant we have found. Funny actually that you can call herbal tea, tea....cause there are not really any tea leaves in it!!
My daughter and I tried to be mature adults this week and drink cold green tea.
ReplyDeleteNeither of us could do it.
I've got a bunch of perrenials in my backyard already raising their pinkies in anticipation!
Thank you for the tip.
hey..wow...I hate tea and haven't dumped the old tea I bought thinking I should like it. My plants will now benefit. Its also good for tea dying fabric. I bought some especially for that! But drink it...not.
ReplyDeleteI am like you. I love the whole "idea" of tea. But I don't really like the taste. And when (if) I ever garden, I have no need to know why, just how. That book sound really fun.
ReplyDeleteWell Debra, I see we disagree about something...lol! I LOVE tea, especially hot....guess it must be the British in me :o) It's coffee I can't learn to like...when I do have a cup with my breakfast, I have to use lots of sugar and cream to get it down! I do like the idea of putting tea on my plants though, I will give that a try this week. Oh, and I use my coffee grounds around my hostas, suppose to keep the slugs away....who knew?!
ReplyDeleteDeb---hee...Actually, my oldest tea bags are probably 16 years old, or more, but I didn't want to make anyone laugh so hard that they sputtered their coffee all over their computer. :) Oh, and thanks for the nudge about posting my own pics... I've been thinking about that lately, too-- just lazy, I guess, and we've been out of batteries for awhile till Tom got some this week. :) Thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth--yep, after reading this book I've been putting our coffee grounds out with my plants, too. I love finding ideas like that!
Judy--oh, green tea is the worst. It's just the same as if you'd taken a cup of hot water out to a barely field, crunched up some barely in it, and called it tea. Blech.
Jan--sounds like we're on the same page about tea! :) You reminded me that years ago, yes, tea-dying was another reason I bought some tea. So long ago...sigh...
Dapoppins--I liked how you said you "liked the whole idea of tea"--yes, that's it! It's such a cozy drink and I wish I liked it more...sigh...
Kathy--oh, I wish I could make you some coffee--I can't imagine you wouldn't like it! :) I can make it pretty well, but yes, with certain cream and certain sugar... Yes, you can put coffee grounds, this book says, around all sorts of plants, not only to keep pests away, but to add a little acid and nutrients to the soil. Indoor plants, as well. I've been drinking extra coffee to make gardening-use of the grounds!:)
Thanks, Everyone... Blessings, Debra
Sounds like you are having fun....smile.
ReplyDelete