TAHOE PLANTS = TASTY TEAS! HERBAL AND EDIBLE SERIES PRESENTED BY BREE LEWIS

TAHOE PLANTS = TASTY TEAS! HERBAL AND EDIBLE SERIES PRESENTED BY BREE LEWIS

BACKGROUND AmeriCorps at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and Sequoia Riverlands Trust Graduated from University of Colorado, Boulder 2012 with degree in Environmental Science From an earthy crunchy family Love loose leaf tea and foraging

UC DAVIS TAHOE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER (TERC) Tahoe Science Center Tahoe City Field Station Historic Fish Hatchery and Demonstration Garden

TERC

TAHOE SCIENCE CENTER

TAHOE CITY FIELD STATION

WHY NATIVES? Beneficial to environment and to us Use less water than non-natives Good for native pollinators

NUTRIENT TEAS IN GENERAL

BENEFITS TO TEA DRINKING

PLANTS Rose buds Rose hips Pennyroyal Stinging Nettle Red Clover Strawberry Leaves Thimbleberry Leaves Dandelion Lemon Orange

WHY? Have in demonstration garden Don t need to forage

COLLECTING Plant in garden Collect when most beneficial Spread out picking of leaves and flowers Pinch off the leave, flower, bud, or fruit/ dig up roots Check from different angles Don t pull out the full plant

COLLECTING

SAFE AND ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR WILDCRAFTING Follow the abundance Avoid and protect the unusual, threatened & endangered Gather in small, thoughtful numbers Know where (and where not to harvest) Assess for environmental toxins Know your plant ID Be okay with an empty basket

PREPPING Transfer bags/bowls/baskets to newspaper/ground to try and give bugs a chance to flee Remove unwanted parts (depends on plant) Wash Pat dry or shake dry Lay out to dry Crush up leaves into bag, jar, etc. Label and date

PREPPING

DRYING

HELPFUL TIPS Make sure no herbicides or pesticides on plant Do not prune old flowers, have to let die and petals fall naturally Store in freezer or dried Do not store in metal container- fruit acids do not do well in metal Make sure plant does well in area you choose

ROSE BUDS Has a floral flavor Harvest early summer Needs little sun and can survive on steep, rocky slopes with little topsoil, drought tolerant Don t collect if already dried out on stem

ROSE HIPS Rose hips are the fruit of a rose, or rose haw Sweet tart flavor Collect after first frost, sweetest then Red orange in color, firm with a little give in texture Do no collect shriveled Mid September through October

PENNYROYAL Warning- has been known to cause miscarriages in pregnant women Most pungent member of the mint family Harvest early summer Sunny patches of open woodland Gather on a dry sunny day, when herb is budding

STINGING NETTLE Warning- wear protection! Can cause a stinging sensation when it touches the skin Has earthy flavor Great for allergy relief Harvest early spring and summer, right before blooms Moist soil, prefer sunlight, along streams or river banks

RED CLOVER One of the richest sources of isoflavones- water soluble chemicals that act like estrogen Harvest early summer Fields, open forest, forest edges, paths, garden, lawns

STRAWBERRY LEAF Has a mild fruity flavor Leaf has to be entirely dry or fresh when usedundergoes a toxic change from fresh to dry Harvest after plant flowers in late spring, early summer Prefer a lot of sunny and sandy loam with nutrient rich soil and good drainage

THIMBLEBERRY LEAF Same genus as raspberry, blackberry, loganberry, boysenberry, tayberry, dewberry and many others Harvest before flowering, late spring, early summer Like moist soils but will tolerate drier sites

DANDELION Invasive species in the area Flowers in early spring Use greens before the plant flowers Can use leaves, flower and roots Prefer sun but do well in partial shade

ORANGE PEEL Vitamin C & B, choline, folic acid, antioxidant flavonoids, d-limonene, alpha-carotene, betacarotene, and aldehydes. Calcium, copper, magnesium and dietary fiber Seep 10-15 minutes

LEMON AND LEMON PEEL Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, folate, niacin thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and protein. Use organic or thoroughly wash Good with mint

TEA STRENGTH Type Amount Time Water Type Beverage 1tsp-1tbsp 2-5 minutes Boiling Sun 1tsp-1tbsp 1 hour to all day Lukewarm Ice 1 tsp- 1tbsp 12 hours + Cold Medicinal or Tonic 1 tbsp plus 5-15 minutes Boiling Strong Medicinal or Tonic 1 ounce 20 minutes or longer-term, hours to days Boiling Fresh 2tsp- 2tbsp 10-15 minutes Boiling

IMMUNE BOOSTER/AID IMMUNE SYSTEM Rose hips (prevent or treat cold) Rosebuds Pennyroyal (remove secretion in lungscolds/bronchitis, reduce fever) Stinging nettle (chest colds) Thimbleberry leaves Dandelions Orange (remove phlegm, tightness of chest and colds) Lemon (sore throat)

NATURAL DIURETIC Stinging nettle Rose hips Red clover Strawberry leaves Dandelion Lemon

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Stinging nettle (arthritis/gout/joint pain) Rose hips Pennyroyal (rheumatism/arthritis/gout) Red clover (arthritis/gout) Dandelion (pain/swelling) Lemon

ANTIOXIDANTS Cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention, declining immune system and brain function Rosebuds Rose hips Red clover Strawberry leaves Orange Lemon

BLOOD RELATED Rose hips- blood pressure Rosebuds- blood circulation Pennyroyal- blood purifier Stinging nettle- internal bleeding/ blood pressure * Red clovers blood clotting Strawberry leaves- blood purifier Thimbleberry leaves- blood tonic Dandelion- blood pressure Lemon- blood pressure, circulation, purifier Orange- blood circulation

AIDS DIGESTION Nausea, digestion, gastrointestinal Rosebuds Pennyroyal Strawberry leaves Thimbleberry leaves Dandelion Orange Lemon

CRAMPS/ TENDERNESS Ladies tea Rosebuds Stinging nettle Pennyroyal Red clover Strawberry leaves Thimbleberry leaves (long menstrual cycle)

MENOPAUSE Red clover Dandelion

NATURAL CAFFEINE Rosebuds Stinging nettle

LAXATIVE Rose hips Rosebuds Pennyroyal (bloating and constipation) Dandelion Orange Lemon

SKIN Rose buds- complexion Thimbleberry leaves- oily Lemon- complexion, hair Stinging nettle- rash * Strawberry leaves- rash *

LIVER HEALTH Rosebuds Pennyroyal Strawberry leaves Dandelion Lemon

WEIGHT LOSS Rosebuds Stinging nettle * Strawberry leaves *

TASTY BLENDS 2 parts pennyroyal, 1 part nettle, ¼ part rose bud, shake of cinnamon powder (good for mild digestive troubles) 1sp-1tbsp/cup 5-15 minutes Thimbleberry leaf, strawberry leaf, red clover, lemon

UPCOMING TALKS AND LECTURES Tahoe Plants = Tasty Teas- 8/3 TDG 5:30 p.m. Tahoe Arnica Uses In and Out of the Garden- 8/6 10am TCDG or 8/10 TDG 5:30 p.m. Dandelions, Weed or Feed?- 8/13 TCDG10 a.m. or 8/17 TDG 5:30 p.m. Transforming Transportation, Finally: How Three Transportation Revolutions Are Starting to Disrupt Transportation As We Know It- 8/11 TERC 5:30 p.m. Children s Environmental Science Day- 8/20 Commons Beach 1 p.m. Science of Wine- 8/24 TERC 5:30 p.m. Science of Gratitude- 9/1 TERC 5:30 p.m. Innovation in the US: Myths and Realities- 9/15 TERC 5:30 p.m. A Gut Feeling: How Intestinal Microbes Modulate Mood and Behavior- 9/22 TERC 5:30 p.m.

FOLLOW-UP Rose Hip Collection in Fall! http://terc.ucdavis.edu/ed-outreach/eriksson/garden.html Questions?