Whole Living Today

Times Like These - Jack Johnson

In times like these,
In times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes…

There’s always been laughing, crying,
Birthing, dying.
Boys and girls with hearts a-taken,
Give and break.
Heal and grow and recreate.
And raise and nurture,
But there not from time to…

Times like these,
Times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes…

And there’s always been stop and go,
And fast and slow,
And action, reaction,
Sticks and stones
And broken bones,
Those for peace and those for war,
God bless these ones, not those ones, but these ones…
Man…

Times like these,
Times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes…

And it always goes
On and on and on and on and on
On and on and on and on it goes…
Mmmmm….mmmmmm…

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dewdrop on the flower,
speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

~Chief Dan George

Appropriate for the Full Moon Eclipse tonight!

You Are The Moon - The Hush Sound

Shadows all around you as you surface from the dark
Emerging from the gentle grip of night’s unfolding arms
Darkness, darkness everywhere, do you feel alone?
The subtle grace of gravity, the heavy weight of stone

You don’t see what you possess, a beauty calm and clear
It floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier
All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas
The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe

I will bring a mirror, so silver, so exact
So precise and so pristine, a perfect pane of glass
I will set the mirror up to face the blackened sky
So you can see your beauty every moment that you rise

A rewarding and enjoyable artistic outlet

Art is defined as “the quality, production, expression, or realm of what is beautiful, or of more than ordinary significance.” A finely blended herbal tea can be just that; a colorful blend of herbs, varying textures, contrasting and complimenting flavors to create an extraordinary cup of tea. With a little creativity and experimentation, the pleasure of creating your own blend can be a rewarding and enjoyable artistic outlet.

Before you begin blending herbs for tea, you should know what the herbs taste like individually. Make up simple teas with one herb at a time until you become familiar with the various flavors. During this process it is best to drink the tea unsweetened. Sit back, savor and enjoy.

[See my post “Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea” for brewing instructions.]

As you begin blending, start with equal measurements of the herbs (except lavender, licorice and the spices that tend to overpower a tea if used too freely). You will find it helpful to keep a journal of your creations, including notes on the teas made with just one herb. Combining herbs will tend to alter the taste of the individual herbs so although you may not care too much for one, adding another herb to the blend may create an enjoyable tea. Part of blending involves finding the herbs that enhance or complement each other to your liking. For some, herbal teas are an acquired taste much like a fine wine.

Here is a list of some of the more popular beverage tea herbs categorized by flavor to get you started.

• Florals - lavender, jasmine, rose petals, chamomile, red clover, chrysanthemum
• Lemony/Citrus - lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, orange, lemon or lime peel
• Tart - hibiscus, rose hips
• Spicy - cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom
• Sweet - licorice, fruits, stevia, aniseed, fennel
• Woodsy - sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram
• Mints - peppermint, spearmint, bee balm, catnip, hyssop

Herbal teas can provide the additional benefits of being healthy, nutritious, and healing. Although this article is intended to discuss beverage teas, consideration can be given to the healing qualities of the herbs used in your blend.

Following are the more traditional uses of some of the herbs you may use in your teas.

Peppermint is calming and aids digestion. Catnip is relaxing, aids digestion, and is known to promote a restful night’s sleep. Lavender is calming and good for relieving stress headaches. Hibiscus, rose hips and lemongrass are all high in vitamin C. Chamomile is soothing, promotes sleep, and eases stomachaches. Ginger is warming, stops nausea, and relieves headaches. Rosemary eases anxiety, depression and tension headaches. Thyme is a decongestant and strong infection fighter.

Teas can be blended with just taste in mind, the healing properties to be gained, or a combination of the two.

Some ideas to get you started on creating your own custom blends:

• An iced tea made with equal parts of peppermint and lemon balm
• Lavender and lemongrass
• Hibiscus, rose hips, lemon verbena and orange peel
• Orange peel, cinnamon, clove, ginger and licorice
• Rosemary, sage and fennel seed

Be creative, give your tea blend a name. Package them in decorative tins with a muslin herb bag or strainer as gifts. Have fun and enjoy.

Be sure to visit Hiyaguha’s Radical Love blog for her post on The Tea Ceremony for One, she offers suggestions for thoroughly enjoying your cup of tea along with a wonderful recipe for authentic scones.

Related Posts:

• Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Chai Tea

Infusions, Decoctions, Techniques

There is nothing quite as good as the taste of teas made with fresh picked herbs. However, many herbs may not be available fresh, either because of the season or their growing environment. A perfect cup of tea can still be brewed with quality dried herbs.

Although numerous gadgets exist for tea making, all that is really required is a pot or kettle to boil water in, a teapot or glass canning jar for steeping, and a strainer. It is important to use a glass, porcelain, or glazed earthenware pot for brewing as some metals can react with the herbs. Always warm the teapot or jar to prevent the tea from cooling off too quickly and to prevent the container from breaking. Many types of strainers and tea balls are available but you might want to just use the herbs loose to allow the herbs to float and move around during brewing. If you prefer a tea ball, use a large one. The tea can be strained after brewing with a stainless steel kitchen strainer.

Because herbal teas can be brewed from leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers; alone or in combination, a couple of brewing techniques need to be acquired.

Teas made from the leaves or flowers are infused to protect the more delicate oils from evaporating. To make an infusion, place the herbs in the warmed teapot or canning jar, pour gently boiling water over the herbs, cover to prevent evaporation, steep for 10 - 15 minutes, and strain. In general, use one teaspoon of dried or 3 teaspoons of fresh, bruised herb per cup of water.

Teas made from the roots, bark or seeds are decocted to release their properties. A decoction requires the roots or bark to be cut into small pieces and the seeds to be bruised with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. Place 1/2 to one ounce of herb into a pot with one pint (2 cups) of cold water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, simmer gently for 10 - 20 minutes, and strain. Teas made with stronger spices such as ginger, clove or cinnamon will need to be adjusted for personal tastes.

To make a tea with both roots/bark/seeds and leaves/flowers follow the directions for making a decoction using just the roots, bark or seeds. Pour the strained decoction over the leaves or flowers and infuse as above.

Herbal iced teas follow the same procedures as above but should be brewed double-strength. After straining, chill for 30 minutes and pour over a glass full of ice. Most herbal teas are delicate enough that sweetening is not necessary but sugar or preferably local honey can be added. There are also naturally sweet herbs that can be added to the teas such as licorice root and stevia (up to 250 times sweeter than sugar! All natural with just a pinch required to sweeten a whole pot of tea).

Unused tea should be refrigerated and used within 24 hours of brewing.