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Gourmets who know a lot about teas, when they meet, like to talk about the intricacies of the process of preparing a drink from a wonderful plant - fireweed. Beginners in the tea business who want to join the experts can glean a lot of interesting information from these conversations.

To begin with, it is useful to know that the leaves and flowers of fireweed (often called “fireweed”) are collected during the flowering period of the plant - from late June to mid-September, depending on the region. But if you collect the leaves and brew them right away, you shouldn’t expect any extraordinary taste or divine aroma from the drink. The same as from tea infused with leaves dried in the usual way.

It is not that simple. You need to work hard on the harvest: the leaves should be subjected to more careful processing. Including fermentation, a process that allows them to concentrate all the healing and flavorful richness of a wonderful plant.

Withering

First, rinse the leaves of fireweed with cold water and shake off any drops. Then place the wet raw materials on a spacious tray in a layer in a matchbox (5 cm) and dry them in a shady place in the garden.

The process takes about 10 hours. In this case, the leaves must be turned hourly. This will help them become soft and not brittle.

For those who are interested in how to ferment fireweed at home, but do not have the opportunity to wither the leaves in the fresh air, there is a freezer.

The raw materials should be placed in a bag and placed in the freezer for 10 hours (–15 °C), then defrosted at room temperature.

Both of these methods equally contribute to the maximum release of juice in the next stage of processing.

Fermentation

The withered leaves need to be thoroughly kneaded with your hands and rubbed until they darken and the juice is intensely released. Then you need to form them into small rolls and place them in a voluminous ceramic or enamel container in layers of no more than 5 cm, cover with a thick damp cloth (linen, cotton - synthetics will not work).

Place the container in a warm place (+23..+27 °C) for 8-12 hours. The smell will indicate the end of fermentation. By lifting the canvas covering the raw materials, you will hear a pleasant, rich, slightly tart floral-fruity aroma.

Drying and packaging

Place the leaves in a 2 cm layer on baking sheets lined with paper and dry the tea in the oven (+100 °C) with the door ajar, stirring often.

Optimal drying result: leaves will begin to break when squeezed, but will not yet crumble finely.

Scatter the finished raw materials on paper in the shade. Once it cools down, put it in beautiful jars and close tightly.

Don't forget the details

• leaves and flowers of fireweed should be collected away from roads;
• when withering, we protect the raw materials from sunlight;
• containers used for fermenting leaves must be ceramic or enamel coated - metal is harmful to raw materials;
• during fermentation, the temperature under the wet cloth should not exceed +28 ° C, otherwise the raw material will deteriorate;
• temperatures below +23 °C will slow down the process, increasing the fermentation time from 8-12 hours to a day, but will not cause harm.

Gain experience

A beginner can ferment fireweed tea perfectly the first time only by luck. If you didn't succeed, don't despair. Having wasted your energy, time and a bunch of fireweed leaves, but with perseverance, sooner or later you will still taste a delicious healing aromatic drink, which many prefer to traditional tea.

It’s nice to drink herbal tea at the dacha on a summer evening - tasty, aromatic. Fans of the process use flowers and plant leaves for brewing. Make up your own bouquets of aromas for home tea drinking. They dry plants for the winter, not knowing what tea fermentation is. Why does its use enhance the taste and make the aroma brighter? It's worth looking into.

What are the benefits of currant leaves?

Those who have currant bushes in their garden know how useful this plant is; they use the berries for homemade preparations: compotes, jam. Fresh blackcurrant leaves, along with medicinal herbs - for brewing teas. To prolong the pleasure in winter, gardeners stock up by drying plants. Many people do not know about the existence of a harvesting method - fermentation of currant leaves.

Using this method enhances the aroma of tea while maintaining beneficial properties during brewing. There are contraindications for use, but the medicinal qualities of the plant are invaluable. The benefits of currant leaves have been proven for a long time; they contribute to:

• general strengthening effect;
• preventing kidney diseases;
• strengthening the nervous system;
• improving the functioning of the urinary system;
• treatment of respiratory diseases;
• fight against colds;
• improving digestion.

Unfortunately, blackcurrant leaf tea is not suitable for everyone. There are contraindications for use during pregnancy. But in small doses, as agreed with your doctor, this drink will not cause harm. Tea promotes good sleep, reduces toxicosis, and improves the functioning of the immune system. Contraindications in other cases include:

• stomach ulcer;
• thrombophlebitis;
• hepatitis;
• accelerated blood clotting;
• gastritis;
• increased stomach acidity;
• plant intolerance.

When to collect currant leaves for tea

Fermentation of currant leaves places special demands on the procurement of raw materials. It is ideal if the bush grows in a shaded place. Collect raw materials in the morning, in dry weather - fermentation will give the best result. Regarding the period for collecting currant leaves:

• in spring they are more tender, fermentation will take place faster, the aroma is subtler;
• during fruiting - the best time, when beneficial substances have accumulated, a rich bouquet of odors is guaranteed;
• end of the season - the raw materials are hard, diseases appear, and fermentation takes longer.

How to dry currant leaves for tea

Unlike conventional drying, fermentation of currant leaves takes a longer period and the technology is more complex. The result is tea with a thick, rich aroma. For example, herbs, raspberry and cherry leaves acquire a special taste after such processing. During fermentation, intercellular connections are destroyed and juice is released. Its oxidation and subsequent fermentation gives the preparations special qualities, saturates them with aroma and taste. This occurs due to bacteria in the air and on the surface of the plant.

How to ferment currant leaves? The work can be done at home or in the country. The desired mode for carrying out is relative humidity 70%, temperature 20-24 °C. It is very important to follow the sequence of operations:

• collect leaves;
• if possible, it is better not to wash them, because bacteria on the surface accelerate the fermentation process;
• If there is dirt, rinse and dry with a towel.

The first stage of fermentation is withering, during which essential oils accumulate. It is important to spread the workpieces in a shaded room in a layer of no more than 5 cm and stir periodically. The process takes about 12 hours. As a result, the raw material should not disintegrate when squeezed in a fist. The second test option is that when the leaf is bent, the central vein bends and does not break.

• the raw materials in the bag are placed in the freezer for a day - it facilitates the formation of juice;
• fold in a stack of 4-6 pieces, twist with force between the palms into a tight roll until moistened;
• for the fermentation process, the workpieces are placed in a container with a layer of 7 cm, covered with a dampened rag, and pressed;
• recommended temperature – from 22 to 25 °C with constant surface moistening;
• The process lasts about 8 hours.

Before drying, the rolls are cut into pieces; this operation can be performed before fermentation. Final stage:

• Place paper on a baking sheet;
• spread the mass in a layer of 1 cm;
• set the temperature to 100 °C;
• stand with the door open for 1.5 hours, stir;
• continue, reducing the temperature by half;
• dry in a linen bag in the shade;
• Store in a jar with a lid.

Video: how to make fermented tea from currant leaves

What is fermentation? This is the process of processing raw materials through the influence of substances contained in the raw material - enzymes. Otherwise it is called “fermentation”. Fermentation is used in the preparation of many products, including tea. Home-fermented tea will be much healthier than store-bought tea, although it will take a little more effort. And the list of herbs that can be used as tea will increase significantly: you can make your own tea from mint, sage, chamomile and fireweed.

Ivan tea is very popular among lovers of wild plants. And no wonder: it contains a rich complex of vitamins and properties that heal many ailments. The components of fireweed tea improve blood circulation, blood pressure, relieve headaches, anxiety and stomach upsets. This is not the entire list of miracles!

Ivan tea - how to ferment

Ivan tea is unusually tenacious. If you tear off a few leaves or flowers, it quickly regenerates and can leave many seeds. Therefore, now we see huge fields and meadows of fireweed, which is a real miracle: fireweed is not a weed at all, but a useful plant.

If you ferment the leaves and flowers of fireweed (as well as any other medicinal plant, however), it will remain useful much longer than when creating an infusion or decoction.

So, how can you ferment:

• in the usual way;
• through a meat grinder;
• through the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

Fermentation stages

The first stage is collection

First, collect the leaves. They do this in the summer, exactly between the beginning of flowering and the moment when fluff appears on it. Plants that are located away from dust, roads and production are best suited for fermentation: their leaves are softer and juicier. The taste of tea will be more rich and pleasant.

If you collect a small amount of tea, then fermentation simply will not occur: a thicker layer is needed for the interaction of the leaves and their juice. Make sure to collect fireweed tea in large quantities in advance.

The upper leaves are more tender than the lower ones, so the lower leaves can be left: the last three levels of leaves retain the moisture the plant needs to nourish itself. This way, collecting leaves will not harm the plant.

Collect the leaves by holding the stem with one hand just below the corolla of the inflorescence, and with the other hand moving down to the lower leaves.

The flowers can be collected separately from the leaves to be dried and later added to tea. It is also better to dry them separately, since the flowers are more delicate and heat up faster.

The second stage is withering

To successfully process leaves, you need to wilt them: this will help the leaves shed excess moisture.

Withering should be done indoors, without exposure to direct sunlight and wind (otherwise withering will turn into drying, which will affect the quality of the product). The leaves should be evenly distributed over the surface in a layer of about 4 cm, “stirring” the leaves from time to time so that withering occurs equally everywhere.

The surface on which the tea is laid out should not enter into a chemical reaction with the composition of the tea, so it is better to choose cotton or linen fabric.

When talking about withering time, you need to take into account the weather:

• dry warm weather - about 12 hours;
• cool and damp - a little more than a day.

Air humidity should range from 65% to 70%.

How can you tell if the leaves have wilted? Squeeze them in your palms. Overdried leaves are crunchy, properly withered leaves are dry, but they bend perfectly and do not break, their edges are slightly curled. And if you squeeze many leaves into one lump, it will not open back up.

Instead of withering, you can simply put the leaves in the freezer, checking their condition periodically.

The third stage - preparation

The leaves need to be prepared for fermentation - mash the leaves. Why is Ivan tea crushed? To release the juice necessary for fermentation.

This can be done by squeezing the leaves in such a way that they begin to release juice (so that the raw materials are processed “in their own juice”), which will modify the leaves themselves.

This can be done in several ways:

Twist in a meat grinder. Periodically letting the unit cool down, we twist the leaves of fireweed. This produces granulated tea, but if you want large-leaf tea, we can process them manually.

Crush with your hands. Everything is very simple here: imagine that you are preparing the dough. To do this, you will need a wide vessel (for example, a basin) and strong hands. By crushing the leaves, it is necessary to periodically separate the resulting lumps so that the juice is released evenly. Over time, the leaves will begin to darken and curl.

To obtain small-leaf tea, you can roll the leaves of fireweed by hand. By rolling lumps of leaves between your palms, you get some kind of “rolls” as thick as your finger. Next, they should be cut when they are dry.

The fourth stage is fermentation itself!

This is the most important process in preparing future tea, affecting its further quality: taste, color and aroma, not to mention the preservation of nutrients. So, let's ferment fireweed.

The resulting mass must be placed in a container made of plastic, ceramic or enamel.

If you used a meat grinder, you should press the mass with your hand, and the leaves prepared by hand should be pressed with something on top. You can use a combination of “fabric + pebble or book”.

1. Cover the container with leaves with a cotton or linen rag, previously moistened with water.
2. We leave it to ferment in a warm place, periodically checking the fabric - it should always remain damp, you need to keep an eye on it and wet it when necessary.

The speed of fermentation depends on the temperature: the higher it is, the faster it goes. But you should not overcook the tea or set the temperature too high (above 24 °C), otherwise the beneficial substances will disappear, as will the magnificent tea aroma. If the temperature is below 15 °C, then the fermentation processes will stop altogether.

If you ferment tea in a cool room, you should cover the container with large layers of cloth, clothing or blankets.

How to understand that fermentation is completely completed

First of all, a change in color. Brown-green color instead of bright green is the first signal. The next signal is the aroma. Instead of the usual herbal scent, you will smell berries or flowers.

Fermentation can also be classified according to its intensity:

• light fermentation (from 2.5 to 6 hours, the resulting tea has a delicate taste and soft fruity aroma);
• medium fermentation (lasts 12-16 hours, and the tea acquires sourness, as well as a tart smell and taste);
• deep fermentation (from a day to a day and a half, the aroma remains light, and the taste remains strong and rich).

You can produce it depending on your preferences, because fireweed tea is tasty and healthy in any condition.

The fermentation process does not need to be started! If you leave the tea too long, you will smell rot and mold, so keep a close eye on the clock and the condition of the herbs.

The final stage is drying

This is the process when we make tea from fireweed. That's when we cut the leaves that have curled into lumps. The resulting mass should be spread evenly on a baking sheet on which there is parchment paper. A layer as thick as a finger.

We set the oven temperature to 100 degrees and then heat our pieces of leaves in it, keeping the oven door slightly open to allow oxygen to enter.

Periodically, the granules (or leaves) need to be checked by touch, stirred and tossed to ensure uniform heating of the surfaces. You can tell that the tea is ready by the strong tea leaves that don’t fall apart or get pressed. Then remove it from the oven and leave it to “breathe” until it reaches room temperature.

Be careful! If the fireweed is too dry, the smell of burnt paper cannot be removed.

The tea can also be dried. Dried tea does not have a distinct odor and rustles when stirred. It can be done:

• in a linen bag in the fresh air;
• in a frying pan (about 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring and tossing);
• in a convection oven (depending on the power of the model, but the main thing is to reduce the temperature every 10 minutes: it should drop from 150 degrees to 65).

It is better to store the finished tea in a dry place without access to light, in a glass jar, metal boxes or birch bark containers. Containers for storing food (plastic or silicone) are also suitable.

It is better not to drink tea immediately after drying, but to wait a month so that the taste is most pronounced and infused.

You can serve tea by adding currant leaves, various berries or citrus peels. It is interesting to know that parsley is fermented using the same technology as Ivan tea.

As you can see, with a little patience, perseverance and attentiveness, fermentation helps you get an irreplaceable summer assistant in the form of fireweed (fireweed), which will help you all year round. Enjoy your tea!

Many have heard the name of this plant - Blooming Sally, whose official name is Fireweed angustifolia. It actually makes good tea, which can completely replace black or green tea in your daily diet. I first tried making it last summer and have been drinking it every day for over a year now. I won’t write anything about the medical properties of Cyprus angustifolia, because... it is easy to find on your own, you can only note that it does not contain caffeine and, on the contrary, has a slight sedative effect, which, however, does not interfere with vigorous activity and does not cause addiction.

Just as tea tree leaves, depending on the degree of fermentation, can produce tea ranging from white to pu-erh, this is also the case with Ivan tea. A short fermentation period gives green tea with a light color, a longer fermentation leads to a dark color, and the appearance of dry tea will be practically indistinguishable from large-leaf black tea.

There are different ways to prepare fermented Ivan tea, but I will only describe the one that I use myself. In the classic method, which I do not use, the collected leaves are withered, rolled, fermented and dried in the oven. They wither to make it easier to curl, so that the leaf does not break, so that there is less water in it, etc. When twisting, the cells of the leaf are torn and the leaf is moistened with cell sap. The leaf should darken and become moist. The more cells are damaged, the better it will go. fermentation- transformation of the properties of the product under the action of enzymes, which is the whole essence of the process. If you simply collect the leaves of Fireweed angustifolia, dry it and then brew it in a teapot, the result will be the most unimpressive. Of course, you can drink such a decoction, but only for medical purposes, since the medicine does not have to be tasty, but it will be difficult to classify this process as tea drinking.

As a result of fermentation (oxidation, fermentation), products acquire new properties that are not contained in them in their pure form. For example, in winemaking, grape varieties are used that are unremarkable in themselves, but during the fermentation process they acquire exquisite shades of taste and aroma. Wine can be made from the same grape variety for either 5 or 5 thousand euros - depending on the acquired qualities: color, taste, bouquet, aftertaste, balance, density, etc. It’s the same in our case: successful fermentation will give the best taste, color and aroma of tea, but if it’s unsuccessful, everything will be “so-so.”

The disadvantage of the classical method is that it is difficult to achieve high-quality curling of the leaves; they are not completely wetted by the juice and ferment less well. The tea turns out inexpressive.

2. Leaves are twisted by hand, 5-10 pieces at a time until juice is obtained. Then the resulting twist is divided into leaves and placed in an enamel or stainless steel container. It is necessary to separate the twist for subsequent drying at room temperature so that it passes in time and the sheet does not over-ferment and become moldy.

3. Cover the container with leaves with a lid or bag. It’s “correct” to cover it with a damp cloth so that there is access to oxygen and, as it dries, moisten it again, but I didn’t notice any difference, which may be explained by the subsequent drying method. You can leave a small gap for air circulation. If the leaves were passed through a meat grinder, then immediately go to point 3, i.e. We don’t freeze or roll anything, but put the ground leaf in a container.

4. After about 12-24 hours for rolled leaves and after 0-12 hours for “meat-grinder” leaves, we lay them out for natural drying somewhere in the shade in a draft. It can also be done indoors using a fan. With natural drying, the fermentation process will continue until it is completely dry. Dry until the tea breaks. A good result is obtained if the sheet is immediately laid out to dry after the meat grinder, but only in a natural way. You can speed up drying on the second day using a fan, sunlight, and gentle heating. It is also desirable that the resulting product is almost dry after two days of drying, otherwise it may become acidic and moldy, and the brewed tea will not be aromatic and cloudy. Choose your optimal fermentation time based on your taste and conditions. Therefore, for the first time, do not do too much. Find the method that gives you the best results and replicate the process in larger batches.

5. We break the dried tea with our hands for ease of storage and brewing, place it in iron or glass jars, etc. You can keep the jars open for a few more weeks. This item is optional, because some people like tea with long, curled leaves. But, it seems to me, ground tea is more compact to store and easier to brew at the rate of a teaspoon per person.

You can brew directly in a mug or in a teapot. If everything goes as it should, the rolled tea after drying will have a subtle aroma of dried fruits or prunes - whichever is closer. The aroma is subtle and if you brew it in a thermos or even in a teapot with boiling water, it can disappear. Therefore, I brew in a mug, and if in a teapot, the temperature should be slightly lower. In general, it is recommended to brew black tea at 90 degrees. We put the kettle on and when it almost boils, the water turns white with many bubbles, turn it off and brew. I prefer rolled tea, but the process is more labor intensive. “Meat grinder” tea also has its advantages. If fermented for two hours and dried quickly at room temperature using a fan, it will have an apple or kiwi aroma. Unfortunately, this scent does not last until winter. Therefore, you can add black currant and raspberry leaves to Ivan tea, grind everything together in a meat grinder, ferment and dry. In a word: there is a huge area for experimentation here. The main thing is not to forget the process parameters so that you can recreate it if you like the result.

The fermentation and drying time depends on the air temperature. Many recipes advise drying tea in the oven, but I didn’t like this method: a significant part of the aroma is lost, passing into the air when heated. And temperature treatment is unlikely to have a positive effect on the benefits of dried plants. There is also a method of drying in the sun: it is quite fast, but also raises doubts from the point of view of preserving useful qualities.

Ivan tea is sold, but much more expensive than the average black tea. In addition, when you harvest yourself, you have the opportunity to weed out diseased and dry leaves, as well as leaves with cobwebs and insect larvae. The leaves are collected by moving your hand along the stem from top to bottom, resulting in a bunch of leaves in your hand.

Ready-made tea gains flavor and aroma over time. Last year's tea tastes better than "young" tea.

Guryeva Ksenia, 19699

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Benefits and harms, contraindications and side effects, proper preparation of fireweed.

The well-known willow herb grows in fairly accessible places, so many herbalists successfully collect it themselves. In order for it to be beneficial and not harmful, it must be properly collected, fermented and dried. Preparation of fireweed tea has its own characteristics.

Based on knowledge of medicinal herbs and the conviction that Ivan-grass is absolutely harmless, and even children can drink tea from it. However, not everything is so simple; when drinking fireweed, unexpected side reactions may occur if the medicinal raw materials were collected in places that were contaminated or poisoned by something. Even grass collected near the roadway may have a composition poisoned by exhaust gases, which is unlikely to be useful for treating a child or adult. Individual intolerance to the plant is also a contraindication.

The instructions for use of fireweed tea say that it will be useful in the treatment of stomach or intestinal ulcers, helps reduce high body temperature and neuropsychic tension, depressive reactions.

Ivan tea also helps dissolve kidney stones, strengthen the circulatory system, and treat migraines. Tea is harmless for children and women during lactation.

You could write an entire dissertation on the beneficial properties of fireweed. Koporye tea, once popular all over the world, has now become fashionable again. And many people rushed to prepare it themselves. People use this healing drink themselves and sell it to others, but not everyone knows how to properly collect raw materials, ferment it with their own hands and dry this miraculous plant.

If the instructions are not followed in full, then you can lose the precious medicinal properties of angustifolia fireweed.

Therefore, I would like to consider the most common mistakes in preparing fireweed tea at home.

8 mistakes when picking and drying fireweed yourself

Chamaenerion angustifolium (or popularly called fireweed)

One of the most popular harvesting methods is drying. Then the herbal tea has a light green tint. Fermentation is required to obtain other shades. The color depends on the degree of fermentation: green, red, black.

But the fermented drink has greater beneficial properties than just a dried leaf.

A non-professional can make several mistakes that will not only spoil the result and kill the healing properties, but also create a risk of poisoning.

Assembly

Main mistakes at this stage:

1. No matter how funny it may sound, the very first mistake is picking the wrong grass. Angustifolia fireweed can easily be confused with other representatives of the fireweed family, which do not have the same medicinal qualities: fuchsia, biennial gaura, clarkia. Take a close look at the photo below:

Fireweed angustifolia

The danger here also lies in the fact that the plant can also be confused with poisonous gifts of nature, so before starting assembly it is important to know fireweed by sight.

2. Often fireweed grows near railway embankments and highways. This herb should not be collected for medicinal purposes. Mistake #2 – collecting grass that is slagged with unnecessary impurities.

3. Fireweed, as a rule, is collected at the very beginning of the flowering period, then Koporye tea will have the most pronounced aroma and taste. Therefore, another typical mistake is collecting in the spring, even before the flowering period.

4. After fireweed has faded, a seed pod begins to form. After this, the leaves of the plant are no longer suitable for harvesting. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to get rid of the fluff in your tea.

5. In their haste, would-be pickers often do not carry out high-quality culling of raw materials, and damaged parts of fireweed, which are undesirable for treatment, end up in the general basket.

Drying at home

The final stage of preparing homemade Koporye tea is the drying stage. It is correct to carry out this procedure in a dark, ventilated area. If you don’t have one in your home, you can use the attic.

6. A typical violation is drying in the light, especially in direct sunlight.

Some people prefer a cool stove or an open oven on low heat. This is also a good option, but:

7. The problem may lie in exceeding the temperature regime.

8. It is also fundamentally wrong to dry it in the oven with the lid closed without access to fresh air.

Conclusion: self-harvesting is possible, but if you are not confident in your abilities, then purchasing from specialists is a more reliable option.

7 mistakes when fermenting fireweed at home

Fermentation

Fermentation is an important process in the processing of any tea. If you prefer black tea and even want to see a herbal drink in this form, then fermented fireweed is just for you. But it needs to be fermented correctly to avoid undesirable consequences and loss of beneficial characteristics.

• Fresh leaves of this herb ferment rather poorly. That's why they are dried first. Another mistake would be to exclude this procedure from the process.
• The drying process involves placing the raw material in a glass jar in a well-lit room. Do not use direct sunlight for this process.

After completing the drying phase, the drying procedure proceeds to the next phase of preparation - kneading by hand or in a meat grinder.

• It is a mistake to miss this stage, because it is at this moment that the juice necessary for further processing is released.
• In addition, many inexperienced harvesters, to make their work easier, put it through a meat grinder, although in the end they plan to get leaf fireweed. And vice versa, they roll it by hand, wanting to get a granular version.

Then this whole mess is placed in an enamel container, covered with a lid and sent under pressure.

• Mistake #5 – making the pressure too great. In this case, the lower leaves will ferment much faster than the upper ones. This is fraught with souring.
• The optimal time for the immediate fermentation stage of homemade fireweed tea is 10-15 hours. This process should not be allowed to drag on for 2 or more days.

Storage

The ideal way to store prepared fireweed tea is in a paper or fabric bag in a dark place.

• Those who believe that an ordinary plastic bag placed on a window is suitable for storage are mistaken. In the bag, when exposed to light, the raw materials may become damp.

Conclusion: Good quality depends on many factors. Therefore, if you are not sure that you can properly prepare medicinal fireweed tea, then it is better not to do it yourself, but to purchase a high-quality collection from professionals.

Methods of preparation and fermentation that have taken root among the people

Fermentation of leaves with branches

“The herb is sold at the pharmacy, but I like to collect it myself. I do it this way. I bring armfuls of fireweed home and involve my family in healthy fermentation. Fermentation is needed so that the herb is more aromatic and healthy.

It's done like this: take one branch of fireweed, and press, grind, squeeze out the juice with your hands, the juice and aroma will come out, then put this finished branch in a basin, and do the same with all the branches. Then lay the grass on the windowsill, cover with gauze or a rag on top to keep flies and dust away. Turn over more often to prevent rotting. Sometimes I dry it directly in the basin, it remains more aromatic and healthy. When the grass is dry, place it in a cloth bag. Enjoy your tea, good health!!!"

Maria

(method No. 1)

Collection, drying, fermentation (manually and with a meat grinder), storage

“You need to collect fireweed for harvesting at the time of flowering. Only the leaves are collected. The best time for collecting is the afternoon. Collection should be carried out in dry weather.

Scatter the collected leaves in the shade and leave to dry. We scatter leaves on the table in the house. Drying can last from 6 hours to a day. Our leaves wither in a little less than a day. The most important thing here is not to dry them out. Leaves should not break! They should look like wilted greens, but under no circumstances should they dry out! When rolled, the leaves release juice.

Now we proceed to the most important process - fermentation. For fermentation, it is necessary for the leaves to produce juice. This can be achieved in several ways:

• you can mash the leaves in a bowl (like mashing cabbage for salad or dough),
• you can roll the leaves (this is the longest way),
• You can pass the leaves through a meat grinder.

In the first two cases, you will receive loose leaf tea. When passed through a meat grinder - granular. We use a meat grinder - this is the easiest and fastest way.

Now we put the prepared raw materials in an enamel bucket or pan and put it under a press. Cover the bucket with a damp towel. During the entire process, make sure that the towel remains damp. Fermentation time: from several hours to one and a half days. Fermented tea changes color to brown and changes in aroma. The longer you ferment the tea, the more tart it will be when brewed. We ferment the tea for 12-15 hours. This is a medium fermentation.

Now the tea needs to be dried. Place the tea on a baking sheet and dry with the oven slightly open. We set the temperature to 100 degrees. Stir occasionally and monitor the condition of the tea so as not to dry it out. When the tea has dried, take out the baking sheet and cool. It is best to store fireweed in glass jars or tea cans. We store fireweed in a glass jar."

Elena, St. Petersburg

(method No. 2)

Fermentation in a jar

“This herb is harvested mainly during the entire flowering period of this plant, from approximately July to August, since during this period the leaves contain the greatest amount of odorous and beneficial substances.

So, the preparation method:

• 1) collect leaves, as much as your heart desires, and of course, as much as you have the strength to do (I collected a little for the first time and tried to do it.
• 2) we bring it home, sort it out and wash it, then dry it and wilt it a little.
• 3) then we prepare a jar of the required size, I take a three-liter one.
• 4) we take the leaves and stuff the container with them, very, very tightly, while we crush the leaves and thus disrupt their cellular structure, thereby preparing them for fermentation.

You can also grind them through a meat grinder or cut them, you will get finer leaf tea. Well, I mostly make large sheets.

After two days, open and check, our leaves should darken and a sweetish fruity aroma should appear (more like fermented compote, or something floral), the aroma is interesting and pleasant. If we want our tea to be closer to green, then we let it sit for a little less time.

Next I begin twist Leaves in a manner similar to kneading dough, knead until the juice is released and the leaves begin to curl, while you need to make sure that they do not stick together, periodically straightening them. Well, if you’ve put it all in a meat grinder or finely chopped it, then you can lay it out on a baking sheet and start drying, which I’ll talk about later. Having done all these manipulations, we should end up with curled leaves that we can cut or dry entirely.

We preheat the oven to 100 degrees, place our raw materials on a baking sheet, you can take a layer of 2-3 cm, it all depends on its depth and put it in the oven, let the raw materials warm up a little, the oven will start to fog up. Now you need to open the oven a little, you can insert a spoon between the door so that a small gap appears.

A little later, I reduce it to 50 degrees and continue drying until ready, periodically stirring our future tea. But you can also dry it at 100 degrees; the tea from such drying will be even stronger, but there will be fewer beneficial properties. Therefore, the best drying is recommended up to 50 degrees; you can also use a regular dryer for these purposes.

At the moment I tried drying it with cut leaves, it also turned out well.
It is better to brew tea in a thermos, or in a kettle if you don’t have one. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and you’re ready to drink. In the same way, you can make tea from the leaves of raspberries, currants, cherries and many other herbs. Then you can create different compositions by mixing them, thereby obtaining tasty and healthy drinks. I wish everyone a pleasant tea party!"

Eva, Borovsk

(method No. 3)

Oven drying after meat grinder

"When brewed, this tea has a subtle, pleasant aroma. It is pleasant to drink, it is better without sugar, in order to feel the fullness of the taste. For one cup, I add about 2 teaspoons of dry fermented fireweed. The tea turns out black, just like store-bought tea. You can brew a second one and even the third time - it turns out weaker, but still tasty.

This is how I ferment Ivan tea. I collect leaves during flowering (late June - early July) away from roads. I spread the leaves in a thin layer in the shade or at home to dry, and leave it like that for 6-7 hours. Then I grind it in a meat grinder (electric or manual, I tried both) into an enamel bowl and cover with a damp cloth. I leave it like this for about 12-15 hours. The mass acquires a pleasant smell.

Then I spread it on a baking sheet in a thin layer and dry it in the oven over low heat with the door ajar. It should dry until most of the tea leaves begin to break. Turn off, let cool and transfer to a clean cotton bag and hang it in a dry place. There it will dry completely. To prevent mold, you need to shake the bag periodically (several times a day). And after a month, the tea can be put into containers and stored for a whole year (probably it can be longer, I haven’t tried it).”

Galina, Cheboksary

(method No. 5)

Collection of leaves and natural drying

“This is the second summer I’ve been preparing Ivan tea on my own. As it turns out, there’s nothing complicated about it.

• We start collecting leaves at the very beginning of flowering, and tear off those in the middle, not the lowest ones, but not the tops either. We collect it directly into the bag.
• At home I put it through a meat grinder. In the village I have an ordinary mechanical meat grinder, so the process is long and labor-intensive. I haven't tried this on an electric one. As you scroll, juicy soft sausages are formed.
• After rolling, the “sausages” are dried. But not forcibly (in the sun, stove...), but simply in a well-ventilated area. In the village we dried it in a bathhouse, leaving the door open. In a week it has time to dry and turn into greenish-brown dry balls.

All! Ready to brew. Personally, we brew it with black tea or separately, but with honey. It turns out very tasty and healthy!"

Alla

(method No. 5)

Terms of drying, fermentation, readiness

“I tried a wonderful drink four years ago. And now I only drink it.

• I start collecting in July.
• I dry it for 5 hours, then grind it in a meat grinder.
• I pour the twisted raw materials into a two-bucket enamel pan, cover with a wet towel and place in a greenhouse for 8 hours until a fruity smell appears.
• Then I place it on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at 90 degrees.
• I sort the dried tea into glass jars. After 37 days you can drink."

  Vyacheslav, Khanty-Mansiysk

  (method No. 6)

Fermentation time and drying outside

“I tried fireweed and fell in love, and when I found out that it grows everywhere - I don’t want to collect it, I took 6 bags and went to collect it, finished it in 3 hours, it’s easy to collect, just run your hand down the trunk and grab the leaves.

• Then I stomped on the bags and left them overnight. I know they do it differently, but I’m telling you my method.
• In the morning I chop it with a large knife and press it into jars, placing them upside down. The temperature was about 25-29, sometimes it was placed in the sun.
• I check every 6 hours for the presence of a floral smell, sometimes you have to remove the top layer (which smells) and leave the rest of the herb to ferment further (it gives itself away as the smell of fresh grass). It is very important to monitor this process, otherwise your tea will sour and look like silage. Therefore, it is better to underexpose than to overexpose.
• I pour all the contents of the jars (when ready) onto linen (or any other fabric) and dry them in the shade; if outside (in hot summer), then I take them home at night; if at home, I shake them every 3 hours.

This drying process takes about 3 days, but the tea it produces is not strong, more green, rich in the taste of honey, large-leaf, but the smell is disgusting, so I add thyme and some other yellower, aromatic plant that blooms everywhere in the Black Earth Region, unknown to me, it turns out very GOOD) Out of six completely stuffed standard bags, 2 came out dry, 3 mixed with thyme.

We drink tea 2-3 times a day, re-brew a 0.5 teapot 3 times, it has a taste (although we add half a teaspoon of honey, but it has almost no color at the end."

Shumilova, Voronezh

(method No. 7)

Drying temperature after fermentation

“I would like to share a simple technology at home. The plant is called Ivan-tea and grows throughout Russia.

• The leaves must be collected before the flowers appear; not all should be picked off, so that the plant does not die.
• The leaves need to be dried for several hours in the shade and not in the heat.
• Then the leaves need to be twisted with your palms to get large-leaf tea - but this is a difficult task and we decided to make long-leaf tea rather than large-leaf tea - for this you just need to turn the leaves in a meat grinder (it’s better for a man to twist it in a regular mechanical meat grinder - an electric one just doesn’t work) and let lie under gauze for 6-7 hours (fermetization occurs - that is, fermentation).
• After fermentation, you need to pour a layer of 2 -3 cm onto a baking sheet and keep it in the oven at a temperature of 140 - 150 degrees until the tea dries completely and blackens (about an hour), if the temperature is set to 100 *, then the tea will turn out green. "

  Julia, Taganrog

  (method No. 8)

Detailed process of fermenting leaves and flowers at home

In our settlement of family estates in the Smolensk region, fireweed grows everywhere, in incredible quantities, thickets - taller than human height, and in fact would be enough to export to Europe! 🙂

• 1. So, we collect the upper part of the plant, along with the leaves and flowers - they break off easily, in 5-10 minutes you can collect a fair armful.
• 2. Next, leave for 12-20 hours (but no more than 24!) in the shade, in a dry place, to slightly wilt. The main thing is not to dry it out! There must be enough sap left in the plants for fermentation. Also, it is better to wilt entire branches rather than individual leaves.
• 3. Then we pick off the leaves and flowers from the branches.
• 4. Rub the leaves and flowers between your palms, with force, so that the cells burst and the fermentation process begins. The leaves release sap and darken.

We place it tightly in an enamel or ceramic dish with a layer of 5 cm, then press it on top with a fist, cover it with a damp towel and leave it for 20-24 hours to ferment at a temperature of 25-27 degrees.

You can control the fermentation process by smell; when the process is completed, instead of the usual herbal smell, a very pleasant, candy smell appears.

• 5. Place a layer of the finished mass on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at a temperature of 100-150 degrees, about 40 minutes, sometimes more. Stirring regularly. Ready, dried tea acquires a dark brown to black color.

Leave for a while to allow the residual moisture to evaporate and pour into storage containers.
Koporye tea is ready! Enjoy your tea!"

Vasily, Smolensk

(method No. 9)

Two fermentation recipes

"And now recipes on how to prepare them yourself:

• 1st method. You pick it up and dry it so that the sheet is plastic, roll it through a meat grinder into a jar, there is no need to compact it, close it with a lid and put it in the warmest place. and you wait for such a fruity-wine smell to appear. When you open the lid, it may even sound like “Pyshshshh”. And dry it, preferably in the sun; we haven’t really tried it in the oven. Moreover, the temperature in the oven is high and it destroys some of the beneficial enzymes.
• 2nd method. Sheet. We dialed. You don’t even have to dry it, put it in a fabric bag, preferably linen. And crumple it there, crumple it, twist it, so that the leaves release juice, and then into the jar, and this one needs to be compacted, and then also in a warm place, until the Aroma appears :)

How to choose a good fireweed tea(for those who don’t want to prepare it themselves)

• 1 If it’s granular, then look to see if there are any inclusions in the granules, like sticks; if there are, it means they were rolled along with the stem, and this is already the 3rd grade. Only the earliest spring shoots can be with the stem, since they are very tender, milky, but in this case the sticks are barely visible or not visible at all.
• 2. Leafy. In fact, the sheet is so neat, beautiful, rolled through rollers, there are special ones, but they are also metal, like the granulator. Therefore, both are good.

And in general, COMRADES!! Don’t worry about the fact that when it’s rolled through a granulator and a meat grinder, the contact with the metal is so minimal that nothing fatal has time to happen there, the most important thing is where it is fermented. This is for those who are fans of Eco Eco :)"

Marina

(method No. 10)

Drying time for flowers and leaves in the oven

“In general, I went to the dacha in the summer, collected these beautiful flowers in the field (both flowers and leaves are used). Before drying, I separated the stems from the leaves and flowers.

Then I laid them (leaves and flowers) to dry for a couple of days (2-3 days), and did not forget to turn them over from time to time. Then there are two ways: either send them to a meat grinder or roll them into a tube. I did both (half and half).

Then I put them in the oven to dry, but didn’t dry them for a long time, about 30-40 minutes. The main thing here is not to overcook it; you don’t need to heat the oven too much, otherwise you’ll burn it. And that’s it, our tea is ready! =) With long-term storage, the healing properties and taste do not disappear, but on the contrary, they only increase."

Svetlana

(method No. 11)

Fermentation in a basin, oven drying

“I’ll write right away how I make tea from it.

• I collect leaves directly from the stem during flowering, tearing them off from top to bottom.
• I lay it out in the shade to dry for about a day, stirring it periodically. It is important to wilt well and not overdry. A well-cured leaf does not crunch when bent.

The next step is to destroy the leaf structure to start the fermentation process. This can be done in different ways. She tried to scroll the leaves in an electric meat grinder, but for her it turned out to be too much work, it put a very large load on the mechanism. Maybe you need a more powerful one. You can roll “sausages”, but it takes a long time.

• I do this: I take an enamel basin and knead the leaves in it. You need to knead, crush, grind with force for 20-30 minutes, until the leaves darken, curl and release juice. As a result, the mass decreases in volume several times.
• Next, I put everything tightly into a clean glass jar, crushing it with my hand, cover it with a damp cloth and put it on fermentation. The temperature should be between 26-30 degrees. If it's cold, the jar needs to be wrapped. I ferment for about a day. The smell of the mixture should be pleasant, slightly fruity and floral. I take everything out of the jar and cut it into small portions so that the tea leaves are smaller.
• Next, I lay it out on baking sheets and dry it in a slightly open oven, first at 80 degrees for 20 minutes, then at about 40 until the end. From time to time I carefully turn the mixture over with my hands (it doesn’t burn). The oven can be turned off when the bulk is dry and breaks easily. Leave in the oven until cool. All. Tea is ready.

I pour it into medium-sized cardboard boxes. For beauty, I add separately dried fireweed flowers. Also, if desired, you can add dried berries to this tea.)"

Monita_a

(method No. 12)