Easy heather tea

by Rona
(East Anglia)

Wild heather is very easy to use a a tea.

Just pick some fresh, flowering sprigs, give them a quick rinse in cold water and then immerse them in boiling water. Let the brew "develop" for a few minutes and then strain it and drink it. It's also very nice with milk.

It has a refreshing taste, rather similar to ordinary tea. I believe the tannin content is quite high, which may account for the taste.

I would imagine you could use heather from your garden but I haven't tried this yet. I have tried several wild varieties and they are all good. You don't need to discard the stalks - they seem to add to the taste but heather tea recipes which I've read usually seem to focus on the flowers.

You can easily dry heather in paper or cloth bags for use later.