Beating the End of Summer Blues

 

End of Summer.  Persimmons just
beginning to ripen

Dog days, doldrums, the dregs of summer.  It’s that time of the year when it’s still too hot to feel comfortable anywhere but inside, while the world has moved beyond summer to football games, school days, and business as usual.  You’re thinking about your fall garden, but it’s just not quite time to plant.

How about creating a pick-me-up by making tea mixes from some of the fading plants in your yard and garden.  Most tea ingredients are better when dried or dehydrated because removing water concentrates their natural flavors and extends their shelf life.

Beyond the camellia (Camellia sinensis), the leaves and buds of which are harvested to make white, green, oolong, and black tea, there is a host of possibilities for tea ingredients and flavorful syrups to supply additional taste treats and preserve the flavors of summer.  You can enjoy a cup of your own unique tea while perusing the fall seed catalogs.

Some lesser known options for tea leaves are fig, loquat, passionfruit, citrus, and mulberry. 

Fig leaves provide a flavor surprise

Harvest: Pick young, tender, healthy, undamaged leaves in the morning after the dew dries. For loquat, gently scrub off all  the fuzzy underside hair with water. 

Clean: Wash all leaves thoroughly in running water and pat completely dry.

Chop: Remove tough center stems (especially on loquat and mulberry) and chop the leaves into smaller, uniform pieces. 

Dry: Spread the pieces on a mesh screen or use a food dehydrator at 95°F–115°F until completely crisp and brittle.

Store: Crumble the dried leaves slightly and store them in an airtight, dark, cool container for up to a year.

Brew: Steep 1 to 2 tablespoons of your dried mix in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can expand your garden's flavor profile using other common trees and perennial plants: 

Blackberry or Raspberry leaves add a mild, earthy, tannin-rich base similar to traditional black tea.
Lemon Verbena or Lemongrass provides a strong, bright, and sweet lemon scent to balance earthy or bitter leaves.
Mint offers a cooling, refreshing aroma that blends well with fruit tree leaves.
Peach leaves add delicate, floral, and fruity undertones to your herbal mix.
Hibiscus or Roselle delivers a tart, cranberry-like flavor and a deep red color. 

Citrus rinds or zests can also be dried alongside the leaves.

These are just a few of the many options available to make your own unique tea blends.

To add even more fun and flavor, make some herbal and botanical syrups from readily available ingredients to mix and match with your tea. Expanding your syrup collection can transform your home-dried tea blends. Simmer your ingredients in a standard simple syrup base (equal parts sugar and water) to extract their flavors, then strain out the solids.

1. Prepare the Base: Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the sugar dissolves completely.
2. Infuse the Flavor: Add your botanical ingredient (see prep below) to the hot syrup.
3. Simmer and Steep: Lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 to 30 minutes as it cools to deepen the flavor.
4. Strain and Store: Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean glass jar. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

Fresh. Bay Laurel leaves

Ingredient	Preparation Method	Flavor Profile Added to Tea
Fig Leaf	Wash, lightly toast in a dry pan to activate oils, and tear 2–3 leaves into the syrup.	Coconut, vanilla, and green walnut. Adds a surprising, creamy tropical warmth.
Bay Leaf	Add 3–4 fresh or dried bay leaves directly to the simmering syrup.	Herbal, woodsy, and slightly floral. Gives tea a sophisticated, savory, and warming depth.
Basil	Bruise 1 cup of fresh leaves to release oils; steep after removing syrup from heat so it stays bright.	Sweet, peppery, and anise-like (licorice). Extremely refreshing, especially in iced citrus teas.
Grape	Crush 1 cup of concord or wine grapes; simmer until they burst and release their juice.	Rich, tart, and deeply fruity. Adds a bold, jammy sweetness and a beautiful purple tint.
Banana	Slice 1 ripe banana into rounds and simmer until soft; strain carefully without pressing the fruit to keep it clear.	Sweet, tropical, and buttery. Pairs beautifully with earthy or spiced black and green teas.
Corn	Simmer 1 cup of fresh sweet corn kernels (and the cob, cut into chunks) in the syrup.	Toasty, sweet, and starchy. Adds a comforting, mellow, cereal-like sweetness.
Ginger	Simmer 1 cup of thinly sliced, unpeeled fresh ginger root in the syrup base.	Sharp, fiery, and pungent. Adds a spicy heat that cuts through heavy herbal flavors and warms the throat.
Spiced Vanilla	Split 1 vanilla bean lengthwise and add 1 cinnamon stick and simmer gently in the syrup.	Warm, spicy, and mellow. Adds a slightly sweet, comforting glow.