New Local Vendors Carrying Our Products!

New Local Vendors Carrying Our Products!

We love supporting other local businesses, especially when they have the same ecologically minded values as we do! That’s why we’re so excited to have Backyard Birds Nature Shop in Spruce Grove carrying our Wild Teas, and both them and Furniture First carrying our artwork! We encourage anyone in the Spruce Grove area to purchase our Wild Teas through Backyard Birds and pop in to both of these great stores to check out our art as well as all of the other wonderful products they carry!

Update

We now also have Bloomin Crazy Garden Centre on board with our Wild Teas so be sure to make the short trip out to their greenhouse when they open again for the 2022 season on April 9th!

Here are some of the different teas we currently offer. More will be coming throughout the new growing season so be sure to ask your favourite store to bring them in!

All teas are offered in 3 gr sample packets, 6 gr packets and seasonally available specialty tins, balls

and other unique collectible containers. Pricing may vary between tea types as some plants require more work to grow, harvest and process (so you know a more expensive tea took a lot of hard work and care to make for you to enjoy:). Make sure when using any herbal product that you are aware of any allergies and pre-existing medical conditions. Consult with a qualified health practitioner if in doubt or using medicinally. For most people low doses of these herbs (as in non-medicinal tea or food) are generally safe.

• Yarrow – Often taken for fever, colds and flu because of its warming abilities. It has mild anaesthetic

  

  qualities so was also used for toothache or as a tea given to difficult children before bed. It has been scientifically proven to have mild fever and blood pressure reducing abilities. The Cree placed dried leaves and/or flowers in the nostrils or inhaled its steam and drank tea made with it while the Dene inhaled smoke from burning yarrow to treat headaches. Yarrow has been used as a hops replacement in beer by Swedes and Swedish immigrants.

• Buzz Buttons – This plant goes by many names including Bull’s Eye Daisy, Electric Daisy, Buzz Buttons and more. This is because of its odd eyeball look and the tingling numbing sensation experienced when chewing the flower buds. Leaves have the same effect. High end bars in New York have caught on with the trend of garnishing their cocktails with Spilanthes “Buzz Blossoms” for their patrons’ amusement and for the added cooling citrusy grassy flavour. For those with a dry mouth, “Buzz Blossoms” quite often stimulate salivation as well.
• Anise Hyssop – A member of the mint family with pleasant purple flower spikes and licorice scented

  

  leaves that make a nice tea, jelly or addition to salads. Medicinally it shows strong antioxidant and moderate antimicrobial abilities which means it may have use in cosmetics as well as pharmaceuticals.

• Fireweed, Green – Though more well known as a fermented black tea originally produced by Russians called Ivan Chai, the green variety is also wonderful. High in Beta-carotene and vitamin C, . the powdered inner cortex has been used to protect hands and face from the cold. Prior to coming to North America, Europeans were using fireweed to treat burns. Indigenous people used it to treat burns as well so it was an easy transition for the settlers to use the North American fireweed for the same purpose. Fireweed is one of the first native plants to move in after a fire and from a distance it looks like a wave of fire. Just coincidence or was this by design to show people its potential use? It has been scientifically proven to have potent anti-inflammatory abilities hence there may be value in it for minor burns, skin conditions and enlarged prostates. This compound is found in its highest concentration in the leaves during and just after flowering. There are fireweed products being currently marketed for skin issues like diaper rash in western Canada.
• Wild Mint – Sharp, fresh, cool. Will overpower or compete with other scents and flavours so choose carefully. Try with Wild Bergamot Chocolate Cookies, Stinging Nettle Moss Cake. Blends well with Bearberry, Cranberry, Stinging Nettle, Wild Bergamot.
• Wild Bergamot – A bit stronger like Earl Grey with a bit of oregano pungency, so a little goes a long

  

  way. Compliments fatty or savoury dishes. Milder flavours of other herbs will be lost when combined. Try with Stinging Nettle Moss Cake or Blueberry Scones. Blend with Marshmallow root to disguise its earthy flavour, Raspberry leaf or Wild Mint.  As it contains thymol, the same constituent found in thyme, it possesses the same antiseptic properties and can be used as a mouthwash.

• Red Shiso – Both green and purple Shiso are used in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisine. The purple variety is especially striking on a sushi plate next to green wasabi. It is the variety most often used to give a red colour to salt or pickled foods like plums. It has a cinnamon/clove aroma and belongs to the mint family (try using it for a different variation of a Mojito!). It has anti-bacterial qualities due to the terpenes it contains which would explain why it’s been paired with sashimi and used as a preservative. Check out this video that shows you how to make a festive red/purple Shiso drink! https://www.facebook.com/medievalmanorgardens/videos/668044584362874
• Allheal – The many useful constituents it contains including D-Camphor, Manganese, Oleanolic-acid, Rosmarinic-acid and Tannins are proof that it is somewhat of a panacea. The entire plant has antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, styptic, tonic and vermifuge properties to name a few. Clinical trials have shown it to inhibit the growth of Bacillus typhi, E. coli and Mycobactacterium tuberculi and it is also showing promise in regards to herpes, certain cancers, AIDS, diabetes and other ills. Try chopping some leaves for a different taste to a salad.
• Goldenrod – A number of species occur in this family but they can be used interchangeably. Tea can

  

  be made from the leaves and the dried flowers. Because it is generally already sweet and aromatic, do not pair this one with other sweet or aromatic foods. Use to brighten up bland tastes or tone down bitter or earthy ones. Use to help cover unappealing scents as well. Try with Stinging Nettle Moss Cake. Blends well with Bearberry, Cranberry, Stinging Nettle, Raspberry leaf. I tastes delicious in our Goldenrod Cornbread Muffins!. Aboriginals quite often use the root as well in medicinal preparations. It acts as a mild stimulant. It has been used for everything from dermatological issues to infections to digestive complaints. Goldenrod has a diverse number of constituents responsible for diuretic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer activity and is gaining interest in medicinal markets.

• Cornsilk – It is thought to add fibre to one’s diet but as the silk is discarded after steeping, you would have to drink a lot to reap any real benefit. However, it does have a mild diuretic effect and may help with urinary tract infections. Research is pointing to it increasing the effect of medicines taken and therefore possibly being helpful in treating conditions like angina.
• Wild Raspberry Leaf – Robust tannic flavour like a good green tea. Try with Goldenrod Cornbread, Wild Bergamot Chocolate Cookies or Mulberry Kuchen Cake. Blends well with Goldenrod, Wild Bergamot.
• Stinging Nettle  – Mild, grassy, sometimes with a bit of a bite to it depending on where and when harvested. Use other pleasant flavours to augment like Goldenrod Cornbread or Mulberry Kuchen Cake. Blends well with Goldenrod, Wild Mint. The shoots and leaves are high in vitamin A, C and D as well as iron, potassium, phosphorus and other minerals, and are also good in soups, stews and smoothies. Good tonic wines and beer can be made from nettle. It is scientifically proven to be a mild diuretic and has been used by many indigenous groups to flush out the kidneys, improve urination and treat enlarged prostates. European settlers used it to treat gout. Once the plant has wilted or is cooked, the stinging effect is nullified, and ironically a tea made from the root can be used to stop the burning itching sting.
• Dragonhead/Moldavian Balm – A minty lemony flavour when flowers and leaves are infused for tea.

  

  It does seem to possess some antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It may even have some cardioprotective abilities.

Just because these products are labelled teas doesn’t mean you can’t use them for other things as well. All of our herbs are naturally and locally grown and harvested or wildcrafted. They are packaged ‘neat’ so you can be free to experiment with your own tea blends or use them to flavour other drinks and food dishes. As mentioned before, they can be used medicinally if proper precautions are taken. Perhaps you want to try them in potpourri, for natural dyes or something else? Let your creativity go with these Wild Teas!