Beautiful video! drying herbs for teas is just so satisfying I have done it for years, it is simple even if you don't have a dehydrator. some things I have done in the past - picked the herbs washed them and put them into a salad spinner to get the excess water out, then place them in a brown paper bag and hand them in the airing cupboard or warm place to dry naturally, then once dried crush them and place into a jar. Another way, although I am not fond of microwaves you can dry them in the microwave really low setting and 5 secs at a time until dry and crisp then leave them to stand for a short while before crumbling into jars, and labelling. and the final and for me, the best is to invest in a small dehydrator. Wash the herbs, salad spin them and place them onto the sheets, put the settings on the lowest mine is usually 40 degrees and leave it on for 24 hours, let them sit for another couple of hours at least before placing in a jar and labelling. I also use the moon cycles to get a better harvest. The best phase to harvest is just after the full moon when the sap is hight, but the energy has just turned downward. At this time the fluids are drawing down into the roots, taking the moisture from the plants and making them easier to dry. Hope that helps Catherine, herbal tea blessings TFS. x
Imagine Blondie having a 🌿Herb named after Her 😊 You have such Lovely ideas ~ The Teapot and Strainer are so Pretty🌸 Can't wait to see what you do next x x
Well done Catherine! Your whole garden looks wonderful! I also happen to love French chateaus and I have been following Stephanie's RU-vid channel called "The Chateaux Diaries" and Michael's "Doing it ourselves", so I would definitely recommend checking them out. As for drying herbs, here in Greece we cut some twigs or stems -depending on the plant -give them a good wash,tie them in a bunch with some ribbon and hang them upside down in a cool, well ventilated place. I use this method every year to dry oregano, rosemary, bay, thyme, mint, camomile, lavender, spearmint, parsley, louiza tea and lemongrass. I am blessed with a big garden that my dear late father planted and I do whatever I can with all the plants and trees he left behind.
Yay to Miracle Grow! What a GREAT sponsor for you. I love tea! My mom always grew and brewed hierba buena (spearmint) and Manzanilla (Chamomile). If my head hurt, she poured fresh, hot tea. If my tummy hurt, she poured fresh, hot tea. If I had menstrual cramps, she poured fresh, hot tea. No matter the ache, one or both of those teas were the cure. It didn't matter the season, there was always fresh or dried tea leaves in our kitchen. Beautiful memory of my beautiful Mom. Thanks Dainty ... I just love visiting with you. xoxo
Fabulous idea and you did a great job...I m obsessed with Stephanie s Chateaux diaries...her mummy (as she calls her) has the most wonderful grean house with a wall full of terracotta pots x
I think Catherine is definitely the queen of diy!! And who wants to visit a chateau....when we get to look at your lovely garden and home every week!! Happy summer. 💐🥰
I use Miracle Grow for all my pots and window boxes and I think there is a huge difference. I love your blouse Catherine (or is it a dress). You look as lovely as your garden!
Hey Catherine To dry herbs for tea you cant go wrong with a dehydrator .. or you can cut the herbs tie them together in small bundles hang them up side down I put mine in the hot press hanging on a hanger 🙂 and wait till there dry the should be crispy when dry ... break up and store in a jar ... Where did you get the echinacea plant I've been searching and my seeds dont seem to be doing well ? Lavender tea is lovely fresh or dry you should try chamomile to ... dont forget your pansies there good for tea the leaves now and the flowers in a salad .. you can also use strawberry leaves ... strawberry and mint tea is yum in the morning 🙂 happy tea making
Hello Catherine, look for edible flowers too (rose, pansy, violet, nasturtium...) And you always can make ice tea too, when it's warm enough to enjoy it 🤭 mint lemonade 🍹
Another fabulous video Catherine. MiracleGro should make you their official spokesperson because I’m inspired to use more of their products because of you. After your last sponsorship, I actually went out and bought some of the liquid plant food. And as far as Christmas, it is NEVER too early to buy/plan/prepare for gift- giving. The tea would be a wonderful gift. ❤️👍❤️👍❤️👍🌼🌸🌼🌸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
And there she lays in the grass to use her powewrtools. Cut the peas Danty, the flowers are so gorgeous. They look lovely in little vases on your furniture. The more you cut the more you get. love your ideas on a low budget. Thanks.
I love watching you being so creative in the garden - It's inspirational although in Miami, Fl it is so hot any herbs I grow literally get cooked! I have to make an inside garden for fresh teas! Thanks for sharing - blessings!
You are such an inspiration. You make it clear the tool or the project does not know if you're male or female. Keep up the good work and inspiring young women to do things.
Save your old jam jars and put your loose dry tea in them. A nice ribbon tied around the top along with a tea ball ( strainer) with a cute mug or cup and saucer. Your done! Not only that Catherine, no dirty chemicals in this tea because you grew it yourself. You will be the Christmas gift queen!💚 Oh and maybe honey, can’t forget about the honey or cookies....ok I’ll stop🤣
Danu's Irish Herb Garden. Fabulous small holding in Connemara. There is nothing Teri Conway doesn't know about herbs. Teaches classes , takes courses etc too. I've learned so much from her. It's easy to follow and I've been doing it too successfully now for a few years. My favourite is chamomile with Lemon Balm. A good book, Grow your own tea garden in your back yard by Jodi Helmer. Gorgeous book. Love this video! xxx
I've been watching videos of how to deconstruct pallets and have been put off as it's always looked so difficult. I never thought to cut through with my jigsaw. Thank you so much for that tip you've made it look so much easier. They are such a great source of wood and you've created some amazing shelves from them. I love your china tea strainer! It's so cute. Inspirational as always, thank you x
You are so clever 😊 I never would have guessed those shelves were made from pallets ! You have such an eye for making everything 'just so' 🤗 I love how you paused the power tools to sip tea from a dainty china teacup - gorgeous ! 🌈 I also admire how you try so many things. Please update us on your homemade tea adventures down the track. As always, great to see Blondie and Pepsi. Best wishes from Australia :)) 🌏
Wonderful video Catherine, the garden looks lovely! I watched your first video on the new Miracle Grow line so I ordered it from a big box store here in the USA. I've been using them for years and didn't know they had a new line, so thank you so much for telling us about it. I must say you're looking absolutely fabulous! All of the stay at home time has done you wonders, and the house. Everything you create is beautiful! Love from across the pond ❤️.
I was excited to watch this and, as usual, you created another lovely area in your garden. I too am a fan of Terra cotta pots and really like this project. Thank you for showing how you made it happen! Enjoy your day!
Thank you for this. Just bought mint and lemon beerbush and was planning to make tea too so was overjoyed to hear about the book :) please update on the tea making from your garden!
I love the idea of a tea wall Catherine but I've severe arthritis in my wrists and hands so I'm going to transplant some herbs into terracotta pots and display them on a plant screen near my doorstep! Thanks for another enjoyable video and I'll get some of that plant feeding as we've not used chemicals since buying this place 21 years ago. Keep up the good work and God bless, vera
Love your tea garden Catherine! Im making Apple Mint tea as I'm typing this. My sister in law gave a bunch from her little garden. I love fresh mint tea in the summer! Thank you for sharing!
wow super cute tea pot i love growing veggies that i like got it from my dad he passed away almost 2 years ago now i want to grow every thing i can to help money wise to feed my family and maybe make some pocket money and what i can give ill give to my church for the food drive
Gorgeous Catherine 💚 You need a lot of plant material for drying as it shrivels down a lot. A brown paper bag in a warm dry place is an easy way of drying herbs, shake it every day. Don't forget the hedgerow teas too, for example nettle tops and elderflowers are delicious 🌿
Hi Catherine. Lovely idea! I will plant a few of these myself! I did save and dry mint but it sits in my cabinet and I never made any tea! ☹️ You have encouraged me in this video and now I will use it. Also...Growing tea and giving it to my grandkids who love having tea with me will be so much fun...or giving them a plant to grow themselves! I do use Miracle Grow products every year. Your flowering pots are beautiful...and now I need some pansies.
Your garden is looking so gorgeous!! Love the plant shelves and the tea garden! Thank you so much for bringing us great content every week. One day I’ll visit Ireland - the home of half my ancestors.
You are a joy to watch, so funny and creative. You seem like such a sweet person; already thinking about making homemade teas to give for Christmas. That’s just lovely, your friends are lucky to have you. ♥️ Greetings from Las Vegas!
Love your videos! Drying herbs is easy; different ways. Pick after morning dew has dried off and before flowering. Air dry out of direct sun where warm air circulates in small stringed bundles, or Microwave on paper towel in short spurts (you will know when they are dry by touch; they come right off stem, will crumble in between fingers) Just play with it. I use an oven too, on lowest temp. Just place sprigs on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Try feeling the sprigs at 15 min. intervals(be careful not to burn your fingers)*. If I can do it, anyone can! Growing sage likes a lot less water than other plants and takes longer to dry by any method) 😉 I live in a humid environment too. Really enjoy your teaching me about so many things.💞 *safety first 😄
Fabulous !!! Very chic look white against the dark wood..And potting choice too. They're my favourite too this year. Soooo jealous of your teapot and set. I'm running out of space for my tea cups collection here. ☘️💝☘️💝💚
Great job Catherine. The shelves look great. Will have to try that fertilizer. TFS. I have used a lot of Miracle Gro products. I think they are a great company.
Trust me, you're not the only one thinking about Christmas already. I've already told my mom it will be Christmas at my place this year and I've started thinking about the sale of the cute ornaments from my favorite shop.... Sooooo nothing to worry about.
@@DaintyDiaries I love Christmas villages, last year I got so lucky and found some really great bigger ones at this discount store. I also saw these people who had put these fruit crates in the shape of a Christmas tree and put all these little houses inside. I think I'll try that this year.
I love the scene where you put down your drill and take a sip of tea from your lovely porcelain tea cup. You and Ryobi should collaborate on a collection of power tools for women, a chintz pattern maybe.
You are so Lovely to watch and listen to!! So Completely Adorable!! Even if the project you're demonstrating isn't something I need, you are like a song bird in an open window sill in the morning, the afternoon, the evening. They make couple hour videos with bird songs to listen to.. your dainty voice... just as soothing!! Most Sincerely, -Subscribed
Great to watch and see what you do, the tea wall idea is brilliant. I dried lavender by hanging it in bunches upside down until it dries out completely. I used mine to put in bags. I don't think it is too early to think about Christmas, start early then you can take your time to get what you want for someone.
When you brew tea with fresh herbs use 3 tsp of fresh herb per cup, is good to crush the herbs just before pouring the water over them to release the essential oils and natural flavonoids that make the tea aromatic. The length of time steeping makes difference in the flavour. Late morning, after the fresh dew has dried and before full sunlight and higher temerature, is the best time to pick herbs or flowers for tea as they loose the essential oils and flavours with the higher temperature. Rinse gently, before you use them to make sure that no insects are hiding in the herbs. Raw honey compliments herbal tea very well, although some herbs have natural sweetness, like camomile or linden tree blossoms as they have beautiful natural honey undertone, no wonder the honey bees love them 🐝. Plus raw honey contains pollen from your locality which can really help with hay fever symptoms. Love your beutiful herb garden, apart from teas few of the herbs you have are beutiful addition to sallads 💞👍🌱last addition, I promise, adding herbs to vodka or gin makes beutiful personalised gift, from one Christmas prepper to another 😉
Thank you Catherine, you are truly inspiring person. Love that you are encouraging to all women to give it a try especially with power tools. Tfs 🔧🔨💥 shame there is no power drill emoji, lol
Well I've grown Heuchera for years but had no idea they were edible ☺ Though everywhere says they can be a little bit bitter, so just a few leaves in a mixed salad is enough 😉
I love, love your “ Tea wall garden” Catherine! 🥰 Your teapot and cup is beautiful! What a great idea to grow and dry your own teas, you’ve got me interested in doing this also. 😉 Your videos always bless me, you have such a calm and peaceful way about you. ❤️
Funny. I grewcup on a farm with and orchard. My auent taught me how to dry fruit and herbscby laying them on tables in the sun. Cover with a sheet and let the sun dry them.i still. Dry my mint for tea this way. Love all your projects
I think you did a great job with the pallets! very creative and you seem to come up with the most intriguing ideas! I just bought a couple of books on herbs! I think that they are so useful and I really want to learn more about them! thanks for sharing! xoxo
🇨🇦Hello from Canada! When you mentioned the fact that you love French chateaus I immediately thought of Michael Pethericks RU-vid channel, Doing It Ourselves. It’s fairly new but if’s just wonderful, so I hope you’ll give it a ‘cheeky’ little look. (I also follow your fellow Irish RU-vidrs on the Try channel. They are obviously very different from you, but variety does lend a good deal of spice, right?)
Haha yes this is so cute. Nice place for it. And kinda hidden too with the strong winds that we have been having. Like the rain huh? We I guess already had our 2 weeks of summer niceness haha :D So yeah and that HAIL the other day too! :S That was crazy! While I was doing my video for youtube, I had the door to the back garden open and was like WHAT?? haha
@@DaintyDiaries there are loads of mint varieties! Strawberry, pineapple, orange, lemon, grapefruit, lavender, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate and apple mint! They all smell wonderful and are brilliant for drinks and can be dried and stored 😊
You did a great job. A nice collection of herbs...You can pick them early morning, put them on a tray and let the sun dry them. You can also use a dehydrator or put it in the oven as well///good luck with your herbs............MINDY
Never too early to think about Christmas! ( We have the time -why not get ahead of it?) I was looking at candle making this morning ( Striped evergreen scented candles?) so you are not alone. I recommend raspberry leaf tea- pick the new tender leaves. Love the re-use of pallets as well!
