u/eccentric_bee

**Linden Leaf (**Tilia spp.)  In the USA, we often call the tree Basswood. 

This is a series where I look back at the plants I gathered last growing season, and used as teas all winter long. This is what I think of them. 

The Plant

This tea was made from linden leaves and bracts, not the blossoms. I dried them, crumbled the leaves and bracts together and stored them for winter use. The blossoms are on my list for this year, and I’m curious how they’ll compare.

The Brew

I expected to drink this one cold more often, because in warm weather this tea is my favorite cold brew, but once the weather turned, I almost always reached for it hot.

It brews into a pale, soft gold cup with a gentle aroma. The flavor is delicate but rich, smooth, and quietly satisfying. It isn’t strong, it just is good.

Blends

Sweeteners & Pairings
Linden takes sweetener well, I liked best with plain sugar or stevia because it lets the flavor stay itself. It was good with honey, but my darker honey overpowered it. It was also lovely with my homemade flavored sugars, and the lemon, orange, and quince sugars all worked beautifully

I also blended it occasionally with raspberry, mulberry, or blackberry leaves , and they tasted like soft, rounded blends. Paired with with  white meadowsweet, I found it to be unexpectedly elegant, like something royalty would drink.

 Flavor Strength Scale

Light and fragrant. Unexpectedly complex. 

 Hot vs Cold

Hot: my clear favorite. It was calming, full, and satisfying

Cold: I didn’t reach for it as much as I expected

Did I Actually Drink It?
Yes. Often. This was one I chose on purpose, not just to use it up.

Did I Run Out?
Also yes.

By February I was starting to be careful with it, brewing it less to make it last and pouring smaller cups. Saving it a little. That’s always a sign. Right now I have enough for maybe two more pots. 

Was It Worth Gathering?
Absolutely. I would gather more this year, and earlier.

Would I Dry This for Winter Again?
Yes. Generously.

Final Verdict
Yes, it brewed, and it carried me cozily through the winter.

Delicate, adaptable, and quietly excellent. One of the few teas I missed when it was not able to be generous with it.

Notes:

Last summer I worried that the dried linden tea would be disappointing, because I love the fresh leaf brew so much. So I picked and froze a small bag full, thinking it might be a nice taste of summer in mid-winter. So, in early January it brewed up the frozen leaves and bracts. And while the tea tasted nice, it was slimy, and I didn’t finish it. So, feel confident that the dried leaves and bracts are very nice, and brews just fine. It doesn’t taste exactly the same as the fresh leaf brew, but I am happy to have it in season, and the dried stuff out of season. 

Will It Brew: Purple Deadnettle  (Lamium purpureum)
Foraged early April, Northern Ohio, USA

This is another in my “Will It Brew?” series, (the first this season, which is early spring in my part of the US) exploring wild plants through the lens of tea, broth, and flavor. Thanks for following along!

Found:
Growing in ditches, garden beds, edges of paths and driveways, fence lines and field margins.

ID Notes:
Upright growth, top leaves turn purplish, leaves are soft, fuzzy, triangular-ish and toothed. The stem is square because it is a member of the mint family. 

Preparation:

I think so many foragers start with purple deadnettle, only to be a little disappointed. It has a slightly musty/mousey taste that the fuzziness only accentuates. Salads of raw deadnettle are exercises in chewing, in my opinion. I usually chop a few and stir it into pasta sauce to disguise the taste and texture. I’ve even tried making fritters from them and they didn’t get eaten, so my hopes for tea were low. 

I popped the top flower and leaf heads off of a handful of deadnettle plants for my tea, and only tried it as a hot brew. I poured just boiled water over 15 pieces and let it steep for 1 to 2 minutes. 

Taste Test:

• Cold Brew:  Didn’t try it. I get a mouse taste from it raw, and didn’t want to drink cold mouse tea. 
• Hot Tea: Surprisingly OK. The mouse taste was gone, leaving a lightly green tea.  It didn’t taste of wet greens as I feared. Instead it was refreshing and something I’d be fine with sipping on an April afternoon. I wouldn’t look forward to it, but I would enjoy it as a mild, innocuous tea. Who knew that this fuzzy, mousey tasting plant would be best used as a hot tea?

Verdict:

Will it brew? Yes.

Best as: Mild tea.  Don’t expect anything special, but it makes a surprisingly comforting cup.

Would I try again? Sure. If I’m out and pick a handful, I’ll happily brew it up. 

Flavor Strength: Mild but pleasant. Not special. I won’t gather any to dry for winter’s tea, but its nice once in a while. Better than just a salad tea. 

Notes: If you want to eat deadnettle, chop it small, and put it in a flavorful dish. Cooked that way, it melts into the background and loses its fuzziness. But brewing it as a hot tea is a nice option too. I had a bit of lemon syrup I added to my second cup, and it was quite nice. 

Bonus 

I borrowed a handy identification guide from TheNerdyFarmWife.com. I found it to be very clear and helpful. It is the last photo.