FabIndia for their tea blends.. recently i picked up mango vanilla( to be honest i liked the sound of it) which i really liked though everyone around me hated it( my husband and my best friend whom i forced to drink)
So apart from green tea that everyone is supposed to Love for health reasons, if there’s one flavor close to my heart it’s chamomile.. Though i really like the chamomile-honey blend from the shelves, nothing comes even close to a cup of fresh tea brewed from flowers from the garden.. I remember me and my dad having a cup each at midnight while being engrossed in our desktops.. ( i must admit that i get scared very easily yet i thought nothing of going at 1am to pluck some flowers from the garden)
Coming back, i had a few leftover seeds from the first batch(that my grandfather got me from Palampur)but they never germinated again.. so this year i picked up a fresh packet of German chamomile from Omaxe seeds which turned out to be a great pick.. Excellent germination and amazing flavor..
Apart from always being successful at putting me to sleep when i am struggling with insomnia, it has also helped with soothe an irritated stomach and inflamed skin.. no wonder it has become one of my favorite herbs..
The recipe(if anyone is interested) is simple and remains similar for multiple purposes..
Boil some water, switch off the flame, drop a few flowers and let them steep for a minute or so.. Strain and enjoy!!
Since i like the natural sweetness i do not add honey but you can if you feel so.
For skin, boil the flowers with water and let steep for a few hours.. Add any complementing essential oil if you wish to and refrigerate in a spray bottle.
Since we first need to harvest and store the flowers for recipes above, here's what i did..
a. Stop admiring flowers and pluck them gently with fingers
b. Toss into a mesh basket and run under water
c. Keep to dry in the same or any container of your choice(i kept indoors and it was fine)
c1.Try to keep them spread in a thin layer for faster drying
c2. Admire the beauty and take pictures everyday
d. Collect after a few days and store in a pretty jar
d1. Keep admiring the jar and not use for the fear of finishing them
e. Transfer to a packet for actualy being able to use
f. Make some tea and enjoy
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