Not only are winter teas delicious, but they're also good for you. Check out this guide to making your own winter tea and enjoy a nice warm cup in this chilly weather. Water is a wonderful beverage. Not only is it good, but it is good for you.
There is nothing wrong with water, but when my body needs some vitamin C, I usually turn to orange juice. OJ is tasty and loaded with vitamin C.
But if something happens to the economy, to the supply of oranges, or any other of a myriad of SHTF scenarios that would prevent me from obtaining my beloved orange juice, I want to make sure that my vitamin C needs are covered.
Winter Tea For A Healthy Beverage
My wife suggested that I give tea a chance. I was not sold on the idea of tea, especially because the same scenarios that can make orange juice scarce can do the same for tea. That is when my wife decided to educate me on three easily available teas that we can make at home from things that we can find in the woods. “It is the middle of winter, and all of the leaves are gone. How then will we make tea?” I asked. My wife taught me about the raspberry, the rose, and the cherry, and that the leaves are not the only part with which tea can be made. Raspberry stems, rose hips, and cherry branches can all be used to make winter tea.
Raspberry Stems
The raspberry is a shrub that grows stalks for two years and sheds its leaves every autumn. The raspberry is covered with thorns and grows between one and ten feet. My raspberry shrubs start off small, but grow to be monstrous by the end of the summer. After all of the berries have been picked, and the leaves have fallen to the ground, the stems are useful for tea.
Make sure you properly identify the raspberry. In the winter, the stems will be brown, and covered in thorns. Clip the stem, and boil it in water for a few minutes. When that is done, strain the plant parts from the water and drink. I’m not saying it’s as tasty as orange juice, but in the dead of winter, it can give you some much-needed vitamin C.
When making the tea from the raspberry stems, use older, thicker stems. They can be boiled more than once to make more than one cup of tea. Use one handful of branches for about one liter of tea.
Some benefits of this tea are that it relieves flu symptoms and boosts the immune system.
Wild Rose Hips
The wild rose is a perennial shrub with a thorny stem. It grows one to ten feet high and can form dense thickets. During the winter, the rose can be identified by the rose hips, a fruit which holds the seeds. It is best to collect the rose hips after the first frost.
Add rose hips to water and boil. For the best results, change out the water and boil it three times. Strain out the wilderness from the tea, or just let it settle, and drink. Use about 15 rose hips to make one cup of tea.
Some of the benefits of this tea are that it relieves diarrhea, relieves fatigue, and boosts the immune system. If you are diabetic, you should speak to a doctor before consuming this tea.
Cherry Tree Branches
In the winter, the cherry tree can be identified by its brown bark with small chips in it. The twigs are dark brown with small reddish-brown buds. It looks like the bark of the trunk can be peeled one small piece at a time.
Collect branches that are the diameter of your thumb for the tea. Break them up so they can fit inside a pot. Boil water first and then put the branches in the pot. Boil for ten to fifteen minutes.
The benefits of the cherry tree branch tea are its multitude of vitamins. The cherry tree branch tea contains vitamins A, C, B1, B12, and calcium. If you are diabetic or have stomach ulcers, you should speak to a doctor before drinking this tea.
Lavender Flowers
Lavender has many uses and is especially known as a favorite source of fragrance in our homes. But did you know that it can also be consumed as a soothing tea? Lavender tea is also very easy to serve.
Simply mix 2 tablespoons of dried lavender flowers with mint sprigs in a strainer, pour 2-3 cups of hot water then wait for 5 minutes. You can also add a few drops of honey to enhance the flavor and sweetness of your lavender tea.
Ginger Turmeric
Aside from being a refreshing beverage, Ginger Turmeric is also healthy and perfect for the cold season. It can boost your immune system and will calm your sick stomach.
Just add some honey and a squeeze of lemon juice to a teaspoon of grated ginger. Pour three cups of water then let boil for 15 minutes in low heat. Sit, relax, and enjoy your tea!
Lemon Tea
For people who are fond of citrus flavor, this tea is great for you to relax. This is filled with lemon aroma as it uses a mixture of lemon peel, lemon balm, and lemongrass with a bit of chamomile.
You can still add honey to this recipe as you steep it in boiling water. It's rich in vitamin C and a perfect beverage for the winter.
Mint Leaves
A combination of Rosemary and mint can soothe a nauseated tummy. This tea will also help boost your memory. Just pour boiling water in a cup of torn mint leaves, then squeeze some lemon to add to the flavor. Feel the aroma and take a sip while it's still hot.
Watch this video from OutsideFun1 about rose hips.
These teas will probably never win a trophy for their taste. They are more for emergency access to vitamins than taste. By making winter tea with my wife, I have found that there is an easy way to get vitamin C from two common shrubs and one common tree. So, if anything ever happens to my orange juice, I know where to turn to get a hot beverage loaded with vitamins.
Click here for 8 herbal teas and their medical benefits.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Dec 13, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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Go back to school boy, and take your wife with you too! And when I say school, I mean old school, you know, like your grandparents tried to teach you both when you were kids, but you never listened…
The most potent source of C vitamin, by tea , in the winter is the tea made from green pins collected fresh from any tree which doesn’ t loose it’s pins over the winter! Anyway, considering almost C vitamin is destroyed by boiling, I really doubt you can get many of it by drinking tea without lemon put in after the boiling… Even from rose buds tea, cherry buds, or whatever…
But I have a solution for all of you concerned about proper vitamin C intake over the winter from a natural source. Do you know that ounce per ounce a pepper contains up to three times the amount of vitamin C an orange does? Or up to two times an grepfruit does?
Well, so far I didn’t hear about “orange powder”, or “grepfruit powder” – I met them only in natural form, or preserved by canning or marinating or dehydrating. But I can tell you for sure I not only heard, but I use almost daily “paprika powder”, “chilly powder”, “cayenne powder”, and all the like… And, no, I don’t make teas with them. I use some to get a nice flavor to a soup or a stew, but AFTER is coocked.
Remember what excessive heat does to C vitamin… And you can throw most of other vitamins in the same can too…