Pick an assortment of unblemished herbal leaves and edible flowers that you have on hand in your garden. Make sure pickings are dry – not after watering them, as water droplets may be on leaves or flowers.
If combining herbs, keep in mind your preference of predominant flavour and balance.
This late summer harvesting was done using an assortment of what was available. Mint, lemon balm, and basil leaves; rose petals, lavender buds and nasturtium flowers were also used.
After checking each leaf/petal for no bugs, eggs, or rust, these were placed on parchment paper and laid out, trying not to touch another leaf. (Of course, tea can be brewed using the fresh leaves and flowers.)
After about 4 days of drying, turn over the leaves and flowers to dry the other sides for a few more days. Drying time varies depending on your home. Mix leaves and flowers, checking to see if they feel dry. Remove lavender buds from stems and toss stems.
Combine and crush leaves if you wish into a clean glass jar. Label it, as you may later forget what went into this batch. Enjoy herbal tea using 1 tsp dried herbs/flowers per 1 cup boiling water. Steep 3 minutes. Strain. Add honey if you are not sweet enough! Some other flowers and herbs you can use: Borage, pansy, violet, calendula (make sure it’s real calendula), lemon verbena, catnip, chamomile, feverfew, echinacea etc. Cheers!