[StoneCanyon]

I have been experimenting with herbal teas for the past 2-3 yrs.. My chamomile is quite good ( neighbors,family,friends get gifts), and I am recently enjoying the "lemony" taste of Bee Balm (it is also called Monarda, and I believe Oswego Tea) as well as Anise Hyssop. I grow them outside, organically, harvest the leaves (and the flowers from Bee Balm), dry them. I had read a few yrs ago that a 24 hr stint in the freezer (after they are dry) will kill any invisible insect eggs. So, I leave them in the freezer for 24 hrs., then pack them away in tea tins. Provides wonderful calming, soothing tea at night, and throughout the winter.
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Our daily life here in Lyons: birds,goats, geese, hens, flowers, organic vegetables & herbs, occ. coyote or lion.

[MD bookworm]

Two hopefully quick & easy questions - do you harvest the fresh booming flowers, or do you wait until they're done and somewhat wilted/de-petal'd? The fresh blooms would make the most sense, I'd guess, only because you want the petals themselves, not necessarily the flower head?

So that's question #1 - question number two is: where on earth do you get tea tins? I have HUGE patches of bee balm, dotted mint (a cool Monarda you can get from Seeds of change), and other potential herbal tea components, but I have been keeping all of my dried tea bits in ziploc bags, which just don't cut it in terms of light and air elimination and protection from being smashed into little crumbly bits......

[StoneCanyon]

I harvest the chamomile heads at "peak bloom", and do not use the rest of the plant (leaves are sparse). I harvest the Bee Balm flowers as they are starting to wilt, and the leaves when they are fresh and green.

I have used Mark Wendell Co. ( in Concord, MA, USA) tea tins, which I simply recycle when I order green teas from them - they are large, beautiful, and nicely airtight. I also recycle the smaller tins from Republic of Tea (I will occasionally "splurge" and buy one of their teas, then reuse the tin for my homegrown teas). And finally, I find lightweight, inexpensive stainless steel tins in the discount shops (Marshalls, etc.), many of which have a very good seal. I have, perhaps, 8 of those I am using right now.

Your Bee Balm sounds beautiful! Here in the mountain/high plains, it is SO dry that my Bee Balm is a special treat that I have to carefully nurture (mainly with H2)).
Good Luck with your teas.
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Our daily life here in Lyons: birds,goats, geese, hens, flowers, organic vegetables & herbs, occ. coyote or lion.