How to Grow Green or Black Tea
How to Grow Tea
Teas are all the rage these days, especially green tea. There are so many medicinal properties to tea. Black tea is what most people use to make iced tea.
What a lot of people don't realize is it's extremely easy to grow, if you live in growing zones 7-9.
It is a small tree which you want to prune to keep it at about 4-6 feet so you can actually reach the leaves. It thrives in partly acidic to neutral soil.
They prefer partial shade to full sun, and bloom in the Fall.
Once you start getting leaves on your tea tree (whatever variety you choose,) you want to pull them off in the Spring. It is crucial to do the when they are very young.
How to Dry Fresh Tea Leaves
You want to make sure to prune the buds as well.
Once you get more leaves growing on your plant.. Pick them, and lay them out flat for about 4 hours. The youngest leaves give the best flavor
Next pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.
Dice the leaves and buds and steam them for about a minute.
Put the leaves on a cookie sheet and spread out. Take out after 20 minutes, and you can have a cup of tea with them or store them in a seal tight container for later.