The Tea Corner

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between tea bags and loose tea? Here are a few facts to consider about each: High quality tea is usually sold as loose tea. Most of the tea you find in tea bags is not of very high quality and usually contains broken grades so that they will infuse quickly. Whole leaf teas come in a larger number of varieties and the most interesting and enjoyable teas are sometimes not available in bags. Tea in bags goes stale much more quickly and tends to pick up odors and flavors from surrounding foods, or even the box it comes in. Still, tea bags can be very convenient, especially for preparing tea away from home. It may be a good idea to store bagged tea in a tightly closed metal or opaque glass container to help keep it fresh longer. Loose tea leaves have maximum freedom to uncurl and circulate in the water, which makes for stronger and more flavorful tea.
Join It's My Nature's Herbal Tea Club Call now, sign up and receive a free cobalt mug and a stainless tea infuser spoon with your first months herbal tea selection. Also, for members only, receive unadvertised specials and periodic samples of our new products as well as some of our old favorites. All this for $10.50 a month. What a great gift idea.		Health Note: A recent Dutch study shows that a daily "dose" of black tea may help avert severe cardiovascular disease, protecting you from heart attack, stroke, and other related ailments. According to the study, people who drank one or more cups of tea a day had a 46 percent lower risk of developing severe heart disease, and the risk was reduced by 69 percent for those who drank four or more cups a day. Unlike most tea studies, which have concentrated on the health benefits of green tea, this study focused on black tea, which is more commonly consumed by Americans and Europeans.

Loose Tea Accessories There are many different options for dealing with loose tea leaves. You can just put the loose leaves in the teapot and pour through a strainer, catching the leaves. Or you can try any of the following: · Tea ball - The most common is made of aluminum with small holes for water circulation. Easy to remove and clean and very few leaves escape. · Mesh Balls - Available for tea by the cup or by the pot. Allows better circulation of leaves than an aluminum ball and clean up is easy. · Infuser Spoons - Enclosed teaspoon for brewing tea by the cup.   · The basket filter - This is a metal plastic or ceramic basket to hold the leaves. (Some teapots are specially constructed to hold a filter). The tea leaves can circulate almost as freely as if they were loose and cleanup is easy. ·Tea sock - A fabric enclosure for the leaves that is fairly unrestrictive of the expanding leaves. Somewhat annoying to clean and it may retain odors from previous batches. These are the most common accessories used by loose tea lovers, however other products such as plunger pots and brewing machines are also available.

Featured Herb - Geranium
(Pelargonium)

Implementing Aromatherapy Into Your Life Geranium Usage Culinary - Burying a fresh rose, lemon, or apple geranium leaf in a bowl of sugar for a week or so adds a delicious "summery" flavor and aroma  delicious in a cup of herb tea. Tea - Use 1 teaspoon dried herb per cup of hot water. Drink for PMS, depression and sore throats. Hair - Steep 1/4 cup dried herb in one quart of boiled water for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 days. Use as a hair rinse. Bath - Use up to 10 drops essential oil to a tub full of water. Great for circulation, wounds and bruises.

Simple Pleasures to Renew Your Spirit

Start a "soul soothers" file. Put in stories, quotes, photos that inspire you or just make you smile.

"Forget" to wear your watch for a day. See if you really miss it.

Break out of character. Order a dish you normally wouldn't have.
Maybe try a new look-even if just for a few minutes.

Begin to trust your intuition.
Do it for one day, then one week, then listen to it for life.

Commit to kindness.
At the end of each day, reflect on one nice thing that happened to you
and one nice thing you did for someone else.

Honey...Did You Know? English settlers introduced the honey bee to North America in the 17th Century. Honey bees have been producing honey the same way for 150 million years. Fossils of honey bees date to about 180 million years ago. Cave paintings in Spain from 7,000 B.C. are the earliest records of beekeeping. Many Egyptian tombs have drawings and paintings of bees. There were migratory beekeepers in Egypt in 500 B.C. Man has collected honey for at least 9,000 years. The Romans used honey instead of gold to pay their taxes. Ancient Chinese completely covered small pox sufferers with honey to speed healing and prevent scarring. Honey is "manufactured" in one of the world's most efficient factories, the beehive. Bees may travel as far as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey. The color and flavor of honey differ depending on the bees' nectar source (the blossoms). In fact, there are more than 300 unique kinds of honey in the United States, originating from such diverse floral sources as clover, eucalyptus and orange blossom. In general, lighter colored honeys are mild in flavor; while darker honeys are usually more robust in flavor. Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose and water. It also contains other sugars as well trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. In addition to gathering nectar to produce honey, honey bees perform a vital second function--pollination. About one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, and honey bees are responsible for 80 percent of this pollination. Pollination is the fertilization of a flowering plant. It occurs when pollen is transferred from the anthers of a flower to the ovules of that or another flower. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes and more.

Storing Honey To retain honey's wonderfully luxuriant texture, always store it at room temperature; never in the refrigerator. If your honey becomes cloudy, don't worry. It's just crystallization, a natural process. Place your honey jar in warm water until the crystals disappear. If you're in a hurry, place it in a microwave-safe container and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Remember, never boil or scorch honey.
Herb-flavored Honeys Herb-flavored honey makes a comforting addition to hot tea, as well as an attractive gift. Use it to sweeten hot and cold drinks, substitute it for sugar in recipes, or combine it with an equal part of butter or margarine for a sweet spread. Use any herb singly, or combine several. Good herbs to use include anise seed, coriander, fennel seed, lavender, lemon verbena, marjoram, mint, rose-scented geranium, rosemary, sage and thyme.   Note: Honey is a safe and wholesome food for children and adults. However, Honey should not be fed to infants and children under two years of age.	Herbal Honey Herbal Honey 2 cups (16 fl oz) honey 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, washed and dried well, or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs, or 1/2 teaspoon herb seeds Bruise the herbs lightly, and place them in a cheesecloth bag or directly into the bottom of a saucepan. Pour the honey into the pan, over the bag or the loose herbs, and heat until just warm; high heat will spoil the honey. Pour the mixture into hot, sterilized glass jars and seal tightly. Store at room temperature for about 1 week, then rewarm the flavored honey and strain out the loose herbs or remove the bag. Alternatively, you can leave the fresh chopped herb leaves in the honey, for texture and color. Return the honey to hot, sterilized jars and seal.
Ways With Honey
Bread Spreads Mix honey with a splash of brandy. Spread on quick breads, fruitcake or toasted bread. Bagel Spreads Mix 2 Tbsp. each honey and dried fruit bits into 1/3 cup cream cheese. Keep it on hand to top bagels and toast. Sweet Surprise Spread toasted bread, bagels or English muffins with low fat cream or ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with almonds and drizzle with honey. Grapefruit Honey Drizzle honey on fresh grapefruit halves. Eat cold or brown halves under the broiler for two minutes. Citrus Times Two Combine 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate; drizzle over grapefruit halves and broil, if desired. Honey-Orange Yogurt Mix together 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate. Use as a topping for frozen waffles or stir into hot oatmeal for a hearty and healthy treat.	Honey Power Shake Mix 2 Tbsp. honey with 1/4 cup each nonfat yogurt and applesauce. Add 1/4 cup orange juice and stir for a power shake without the blender. Sunshine Smoothie In a blender or food processor container, combine 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 cup cut-up fresh fruit and 1/2 cup crushed ice; process until smooth. Anytime Snacks Layer yogurt, granola and fresh fruit in parfait glasses. Drizzle with honey. Repeat twice more, ending with a drizzle of honey on top. Mix 2 Tbsp. honey with 1 cup of sour cream. Pour over a bowl of fresh blueberries or strawberries. Mix equal parts honey and peanut butter. Use as a quick sandwich filling or celery topper. Five-a-Day Toss Mix together 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch of ground ginger. Toss with 3 cups cut-up mixed fruit.

Never set herbal vinegars, oils or wine in a windowsill.
Light and heat will destroy the flavors.

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Book Review

Herbs for Health Magazine

This is only the second time we have featured a magazine in the book review. The first was the wonderful Herb Companion magazine. Now we would like to share its sister magazine - Herbs for Health. One of our favorite things about this magazine is the vast variety of subjects covered. Everything from soothing dermatitis with primrose oil, safe heart care, to the medicinal benefits of chocolate! Many current studies are included so the information is always up to date.

There is a Mailbox section, as well as a Question & Answer section where readers write in with questions and Herbs for Health or a health care professional responds at length. Each issue has a section called Herb Basics and here you will find beginners tips and useful information about herbs, essential oils, tinctures, extracts and so much more. A glossary is included in each issue for any words to know from the stories in that issue. Other sections in each issue include Case Studies, Pet Corner, Try This At Home, Active Citizen and a Marketplace. The magazine is published 6 times a year and the May/June 2000 issue will be very special because it includes an article about aromatherapy from It's My Nature co-owner, Susan Stewart. The article is entitled Easy Aromatherapy for Midlife and it is a very informative writing that includes several great aromatherapy recipes. Herbs for Health is available at It's My Nature. Order the current issue on our toll free line or pick up your copy at Dahlia's Secret Garden in Florence, Oregon.