As a member of the #hivegarden community I've been mentioned a few times in a new initiative by @gardenhive; The question of the week!

Until now I didn't make time to join this initiative, but the question of this week: Do you ever make a drink from ingredients from your garden? .
This question really spoke to me, so I decided to respond with a blog.

Homegrown tea herbs

Although I am a coffee lover I can appreciate a cup of tea every now and then. Just recently I read an alarming article that claimed that certain tea bags can release significant amounts of micro- and nanoplastics into your tea. Wait, what!? Can't we trust anything anymore?

Although we still do use teabags, we also make tea from fresh herbs. You can buy some mint in a sealed plastic bag in the supermarket, but you can also buy a mint plant in a pot.
They are more expensive, but you can get more tea from them.

A while ago I decided to move the plant from the container into the backyard. This gave it the opportunity to grow even more. And mint is a tough plant that survives winter, so it grows back every year.

Different species

Last year I expanded the assortment of mint plants. I used to have 'regular' mint, but received a cutting of the Maroccan mint plant from my sister. Compared to the 'regular' mint the Maroccan mint is a bit more spicy. I personally prefer this in my tea.

When I visited a garden center last year I spotted another type of mint; Chocolate mint. I was really surprised they had this flavour. I really like chocolate, so I decided to buy it.
They say it has a chocolaty twist, but I don't really taste it. It is nice and sweet though.

I just had a small plant last year, but as you can see in the image below, the mint is spreading like crazy. It's almost like weeds.

Prevent spreading

And the spreading which I mentioned above can also be a problem. There is only a certain amount of tea we drink, so I don't want the mint to take over my garden.
But I recently read a good tip somewhere to prevent this from happening. You can put the mint in a container into the soil. This keeps the munt grouped together. Although it's better to use a earthenware or terracotta pot (for drainage) I used a plastic container instead. I might replant them when I find a better container.

Lemon balm

Another tea that we frequently make is lemon balm tea. Lemon balm tea has a lot of health benefits.
It contains antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, it can help with digestive issues and it is known for its ability to help reduce stress and anxiety.
And besides the health benefits it also has a very nice and sweet taste.

I had bought a lemon balm plant last year which was completely gone in winter, so I decided to buy a new one when I recently visited a garden center.

But funny enough, when I was removing some weeds recently I discovered a tiny stump with a few tiny leaves on it. I didn't recognize it immediately, but when I rubbed the leaves with my fingers and smelled it, I immediately recognized it as my lemon balm. So no I have two!

Making tea

And making tea is so simple! You just cut some leaves, wash them off a bit and then put them in a teapot with boiling water for a couple of minutes. Simple as that!
Tasteful and healthy!

Do you also make your own tea?