Today we harvested the rest of the lemon balm that was growing in the herb garden. Because we are studying the mint family this week, it was the perfect tie in as lemon balm belongs to that family.
You can see that it is a pretty sorry bunch since it had already gone to seed but the leaves can still be frozen and used for tea this winter. We picked it all over, which took most of an hour to do. Ben then read from A Kid's Herb Book how to make lemon balm tea. Lemon balm is known for its fever reducing properties as well as being helpful for colds, flu, coughs, nervousness, whining or crying, wounds and sores.
A Kid's Herb Book covers sixteen different herbs and their uses. It also includes fairy tale stories, recipes, songs and poems. I love this book and would recommend it for anyone, young or old, who is interested in learning more about plants and herbs in daily life. There are recipes for garlic ear oil, tips on how to lessen the pain of a bee sting, making flower vinegar, making homemade marshmallows and much more.
Today we used the information on making herbal teas using two different methods, infusion and decoction. Infusion is the way most teas are made, by pouring boiling water over the top of the herbs and steeping them. The decoction method involves bringing the herbs themselves to a boil and simmering for thirty minutes. Ben experimented with both methods and we sampled both.
The infused tea (on the left) was lighter and had a pleasant lemony taste. The tea made using the decoction method was stronger tasting. If using lemon balm tea for fever reducing, I would use decoction but for general drinking enjoyment, Ben and I agreed upon the lighter tea.
The children also made the candied mint leaves, though most of our leaves were tiny. They need to dry for a day or two before they are truly candied. Right now, thanks to one sifter-happy child, they are a weeping mess of leaves covered in a pile of powder sugar. :)
Mary Kathryn harvested the remaining sage from the garden, pulled the leaves from the stems and it is now drying nicely in a basket. I will add it to our stash in a few days.
The boys worked on their pictures of the Guardian of Mint Island from Shanleya's Quest. Here is Benjamin's:
Christoher's rendition of the Mint Guardian:
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