GardenersCardiff answers:

How to Grow & Harvest Your Own Green Tea Plant

Think it’s hard to produce your own green tea? Think again. Here’s how to grow and harvest your own tea plant.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could grow your own tea leaves at home? Not only would this save money, but you’d also reduce your risk of exposure to pesticides which are often found as contaminants on green tea leaves.

Growing your own green tea plant isn’t as difficult as you might imagine. All of the non herbal teas are derived from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The difference in the taste and content of the teas lies in the way they’re processed after the plant is grown.

You don’t need much room to grow Camellia Sinensis, although you do need patience. The leaves of the plant shouldn’t be plucked to be used until the plant is around three years of age.

Although you can grow the tea plant from the seed, it’s far easier to propagate the plant from cuttings or to buy a nursery tree. You’ll want to plant your tea plant in sandy soil for best results. Your tea plant will do well with the addition of occasional amounts of fertilizer and should be watered frequently when the weather is warm. The addition of mulch will help to reduce weeds and maintain soil moisture which is desirable for the Camellia Sinensis plant.

Once your plant is established, you’ll want to start harvesting and processing your tea leaves. For green tea, it’s important to harvest only the youngest tea leaves and buds. This usually involves plucking the terminal 3 leaves plus the terminal bud. After plucking, allow the leaves to dry away from direct contact with the sun for several hours.

Once the leaves are dry, it’s time to steam or pan heat your green tea leaves. To pan heat the leaves, heat the leaves in a pan to a temperature of around 500 degrees F for 15 minutes while keeping the pan in continuous motion to prevent burning. They can be dried by placing them in an oven at a temperature of no more than 250 degrees F for around 10 minutes. The dried leaves can then be stored until you’re ready to use them. Be sure to store them in a sealable container in a cool, dark place.

You can create different green tea flavors by adding herbs, dried fruits, or edible flowers to your green leaves before steeping them. This method will give you an endless supply of ways to enjoy green tea. Growing your own tea plant to make your own green tea drinks can be quite rewarding. Why not give it a try?

Http://gomestic.com/do-it-yourself/how-to-grow-harvest-your-own-green-tea-plant/#ixzz1UAJsJ3Qz
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How to make a bowl of Matcha (Usucha)
Matcha is green powdered tea. It is uniquely Japanese and is the highest quality tea available in Japan. The tea leaves are picked by hand and are stone ground into a fine powder. For consistency, the leaves from various varieties of tea plants are blended to produce the best flavor, color, and aroma. For more information, click What is Matcha.
Let the matcha come to room temperature and sift through a fine strainer
Using a bamboo tea scoop, place 1 1/2 to 2 teascoops of matcha into the tea bowl; or, measure out a rounded 1/2 teaspoonful. Adjust the amount of matcha to your taste.
Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of hot simmering water. This is a guideline for a typical bowl of tea; amounts can be adjusted to your preference.
Briskly whisk the tea and hot water using a bamboo tea whisk. Begin slowly to dissolve the matcha, then move very briskly back and forth as fast as you can in the middle of the tea bowl. The whisk should be vertical and barely touching the bottom of the bowl. When a soft light foam has developed, slowly lift the whisk from the center of the bowl.
Http://www.matchaandmore.com/howtomake.htm
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The proper kind of tea leaf for making matcha is called tencha. To make tencha, a few weeks before harvesting the tea leaf bushes are covered with mats or tarps to keep them out of direct sunlight. The bushes respond to this by growing more slowly, producing amino acids (which make the tea sweeter tasting) and darkening their leaves. Leaves are harvested and dried flat (traditionally in indirect sunlight, but commonly dried indoors).
The tencha is then de-stemmed, de-veined and ground (higher quality matcha is stone ground, lower quality is machine ground). This is matcha.
Http://www.ehow.com/about_5040787_matcha.html#ixzz1UASYh2lS

GardenersCardiff answers:

I studied aromatherapy when i did my massage training, i use it every day, essentail oils are wonderful for many purposes, from a few drops of tee tree down the drain, to a more creative blend for a ritual, and i love using them in the bath of course! I have used home made herbal teas/infusions quite a lot in the last year as i have had some health issues. Cooking as well,we grow quite a few here, but my hens do damage them..and i do buy some.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Check with Nichols Garden Nursery. In the past they have carried tea trees, and may still. They can help with information about growing, harvesting and processing.

If you’re talking about herbal teas, Nichols also has a wide selection of herbs and information about them.