Odsox wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:44 am
Yes they definitely put plastic in some teabags.
I didn't know either until fairly recently and as I always compost teabags it dawned on me that I kept seeing the skeletonised mesh parts in my soil.
That's what made me realise as well . Whether it makes any real problems in the soil i couldn't say but i certainly found it irritating more than anything else. Nowadays i dry the bags out and remove the tea , dry bags are much easier to empty , and the bags themselves go in the woodburner . In some respects that's still irritating as the plastic in teabags is for all intents and purpose practically unrecyclable . I like loose tea and we do have irpt at times but i never understand why it costs more than bags. Take the same stuff , make a bag , measured amount in each bag , seal it and sell it cheaper . Or is the stuff in bags the sweepings off the floor?
On the subject of plastic recycling a post came up on facebook the other day. Someone had taken those compostable plastic glasses that are seen at festivals and the like and left a couple in a compost heap for close to two years. They hadn't degraded at all , the writing on the side saying it's not plastic but 100% compostable plant starch was still clear , the only damage being where they had caught it with the fork. Seems they need some sort of heated industrial composter to actually break them down.
Skippy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:08 am
I like loose tea
I forgot to say that I only drink mint tea*, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen loose leaf mint tea.
Before anyone asks, yes I've tried making tea from my own mint, but green mint tastes vegetably and dried tastes like hay. I wish I could make my own, but I've no idea how they dry mint for commercial mint tea.
* Not true, I drink copious amounts of coffee, wine and beer, but not necessarily all at the same time.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Maybe you are growing the wrong kind of mint in your garden? Mine tastes fine... A little different from the stuff I buy, but better rather than worse. To me, anyway.
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
From the taste of the commercial mint teas (versus peppermint or spearmint) I would guess they mostly use the old common mint (I think Mentha viridis) which is the one growing on my patch.
Not a huge fan of herbal teas if i'm honest although i occasionally will make a lemon balm brew . I think it is mainly because the flavour is either pretty bland or downright unpleasent and i'm thinking there of the jasmin flower tea i tried some time ago.
Saying all that the best i've tried so far is rosebay willow herb. I don't buy it as it's a pretty common weed and as i have access through work to a number of gardens in good supply. Simple to prepare , i just cut the roots off , although i suppose i could just wash the dirt off , and let them dry. Better to do it before the seeds have formed in my experience simply because of the "feathery" covering. Once dry crumble it up and use as tea leaves. Best thing about it is that the taste isn't a million miles away from real tea and you can also add milk. Lot less work than the dandelion root coffee too.
I'm always interested in herbal teas (like you, Skippy, I like some more than others) so I investigated the rosebay willowherb tea. Very interesting.
Apparently it was the beverage of choice in Czarist Russia, where it was not only drunk as a green (fresh or dried) tea but also fermented into a black tea and may well have been the main influence in fermenting Camellia sinensis - the ordinary tea we know today.
You don't see it round here much but I'll try to see if I can find some. Thanks Skippy.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Used to harvest masses of the stuff for my goats when I had them... Have to try that next year. I have peppermint and sage from the garden. I find it strange that in this country people don't know the use of herbal teas that we grew up with. A cold, or sore throat? Sage. Fever? Lime flower. High blood pressure? Hawthorn. Rough tummy? Camomile, or peppermint.
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
Been trying to get my sister in law to drink the lemon balm tea as she's always moaning about being stressed at work but no with no luck . Says she'll stick to prosecco .
One plant that i used for sore throats was white horehound . Tasted disgusting but seemed to be very benifical when gargled . I had a clump for several years and would find it popping up here and there too but for some reason it hasn't appeared this year . Disappointing.
Well that's good to hear , i'll see what next year brings. Funny you should say that you've been trying to get rid of it , i have mumbled a few moans pulling it out of the garden . I have pretty much most of my herbs in the front garden , the horehound included but it managed to make it's way around to the back of the house . Things i have been trying to limit at least are the aforementioned lemon balm , wild strawberries and soapwort which seems to be very persistant .
Skip - to put a couple of things in context. My patch is 900 acres mostly cattle grazing and fodder cropping near Wagga Wagga and my climate is transitional between Meditteranean and semi-arid (around 22 inches rainfall).
In Southern Oz horehound is a significant weed and is regulated in most jurisdictions. Many of our weeds of agriculture here are from Southern and northern Europe. So much of what people find "good" in wild plants on this forum may be "bad" here. (eg Blackberry, wild rose, hawthorn, bamboo, willow,tansy etc.) However, after more than three decades working in invasive species (weeds) I am convinced that we have got it mostly wrong and that the benefits of "weeds", not just as food but as part of the natural cycle, needs to be considered.
Having said that,I operate within this forum on two levels - the first is my home patch where I attempt to be as food self sufficient as possible (within time constraints - roll on retirement) and haave a natural sequence process - We (shenme) are moving our broad acre production towards similar lines.
Naturally, my responses on the forum may be somewhat puzzing to other members.
I understand where you are coming from or at least i hope i do. I suppose it doesn't help that the definition of a weed is so open to interpretation , one mans weed is another flower so to speak . I've had a very obvious example of that . I do maintainence and one customer asked me to remove the bluebells as they considered them unattractive and unwanted. I removed two bucketfuls and sold them on very soon afterwards. . Now things like ornamental grasses i just don't get , they're just glorified weeds to me but i have customers who love the things.
