I have several kinds of herbs in my garden. Some are for cooking and some are for teas. I love to put together my own flavors and, as summer comes to a close, what better time to create those delicious herbal teas to sip on when the weather calls for something warm to drink!

Making your own tea

Herbal tea blends are really a matter of what you like. You can use a single herb, like chamomile or mint, or you can blend two or three herbs together. Adding dried fruit also adds a little extra flavor.

I dry my herbs on the top rack of my indoor greenhouse, no lights. You need dark, dry air with some circulation.

Rubber band the ends, then hang the bundles upside down. How long it takes depends on the density of the herb. Lemon verbena ^[1] or mint will take less time than thicker herbs like lavender or sage. Let them dry until the crumble but are not so dry there is not flavor left.

I use my dehydrator to dry different fruits – strawberries, orange peels, apple pieces – all make great additions to tea.

Cut them into thin slices, then dry until they have very little moisture left in them. You can do this in the oven at about 180 degrees for a few hours, or in a dehydrating machine, like I have.

Once they are dried enough, chop them up to mix into the herbs.

If you’re looking for a little darker tea, add some of the dried fruits to some loose black tea.

Making the Essence of Summer herbal tea

This tea is made of lemon verbena, lavender and strawberries. It’s light and naturally sweet. Like any tea, the longer you steep it, the stronger the flavor will be.

Start by adding the ingredients to a mortar or clean coffee grinder. The grinder will make a finer blend but will need to be put into tea bags. The mortar and pestle will make a coarse grind that will work in a tea diffuser.

After the herbs are blended, put a couple of teaspoon into tea bags. Close and store in a sealed plastic bag to keep it fresh.

If you are not using tea bags, an air tight container will keep it for a few month.

Tea Blend Ideas

Here are some ideas of herbs that make a tasty cup of tea:

• Lemon balm and orange peel
• Peppermint and lavender
• Rosemary and peaches
• Basil, lemon balm and lavender
• Green tea, lemon verbena, ginger
• Black tea, apricots, ginger
• Black tea, orange peel, lemon balm

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

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Today is National Daiquiri Day! This drink is associated with sunshine, the beach, and everything summer has to offer. A super simple drink that is rum based with citrus (usually lime) and sugar. And who doesn’t love a refreshing strawberry daiquiri?

Here’s one that is alcohol free and adds a little lavender twist. Enjoy!

The daiquiri was created in 1898 by Jennings Cox. During the Spanish-American war, miners in Cuba would meet at the Venus bar after a long day of work. One day Mr. Cox went behind the bar and mixed up some Bacardi, lime juice and sugar. He named his concoction after the town they were in – Daiquiri.

Here’s how you do it:

If you can’t find lavender simple syrup it’s easy to make. Click HERE  ^[6]
for the recipe. Make sure it’s totally cooled before you use it.

Add the lime, salt, simple syrup and  water to a blender with 1/2 the strawberries.

Process until it’s smooth.

Add the remaining strawberries and rum extract and process again. It will be like an icee drink.

Pour into glasses and garnish with a mint sprig and lavender stem. (Use only culinary lavender. Do not use craft store flowers).

Delicious – and you can have more than one!

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

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In honor of yesterday’s strawberry-rhubarb pie day, here’s a deliciously easy way to enjoy the flavors. Strawberry-Rhubarb streusel!

What is streusel? Streusel is similar to a crumble except that is has oats.

This recipe is so simple – you chop, stir and bake!! And enjoy!

Here’s how you do it:

Spray a baking pan with oil. I used a loaf pan because I couldn’t find my 8X8 baking dish. Either works, you just need to cook the deeper one a little longer and keep an eye on the topping.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the strawberries and remove the hull. Cut them into thirds. Clean the rhubarb ^[11], removing the dried out ends. Cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch sliced.

Add 2 Tablespoons of flour and granulated sugar to the fruit.

Mix well.

Next make the topping.

First toast the pecans. Place them in a dry, hot, heavy skillet and shake. You will smell the fragrant nuttiness as they toast. Remove them from the heat and allow to cool.

When the are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop them.

In a medium bowl, mix all the topping ingredients until they are mixed well.

Spread it evenly over the top of the fruit.

Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes. The top will be browned

and the bottom will be bubbling.

Allow it to cool for about 30 minutes. This will give it a chance to set up and keep it from burning your mouth!

Top with ice cream, whipping cream or both!! Sprinkle with some toasted ground nutmeg or cinnamon and enjoy!

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

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Strawberry season has been great this year!! I’m getting some frozen stash going and eating them fresh like crazy. Jam, syrup and this – an easy breakfast casserole that can be made the night before or just an hour before breakfast or brunch. Don’t worry about leftovers. There won’t be any!

Here’s How to Make a Strawberry French Toast Casserole:

Start by tearing the bread into bite sized pieces.

Slice the strawberries into thirds or simply some big slices. The bigger the berry, the more the slices. Small ones just need to be cut in half (saving a few for garnish).

Whisk the eggs, vanilla, half and half and granulated sugar together.

Lay half the bread in the bottom of a lightly buttered casserole dish.

Top with 1/2 the berries.

Do a second layer of the two on top of the first.

Pour the milk and egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with about 1 Tablespoon of the turbinado sugar.

Push the bread down in the liquid, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and let set for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Top with the remaining turbinado sugar and melt it with a brûlée torch.

You can use the broiler if you don’t have a torch, but I highly recommend a torch. They are inexpensive and easy to use!

Serve hot with some warm strawberry syrup ^[16]. So good!!

© Copyright 2021 The Lazy Gastronome

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My favorite berry farm opened for the season on Saturday! I was so excited. Time for freezing and jam making! I got some hood strawberries and one I’ve never tried before – Sweet Ann. If you’ve never tried one I recommend it. It truly is sweet – and juice and delicious!

I also took a trip to the farmer’s market. And I found rhubarb. The rest of my day is now planned.

I froze some of the strawberries and ate even more. Made a pitcher of strawberry lemonade (from scratch) and used the rest in some jam.

This recipe is for a very small batch of jam – but I’m on a quest for more rhubarb to make a BIG batch! I used half the rhubarb for this recipe and the other half for some straight rhubarb jam ^[21].

Lets start with, what is jam? How is it different from jelly or preserves? Here is an explanation of the three:

Jelly is made from strained fruit, leaving primarily juice. Pectin is added to form a gelatinous viscosity.

Jam is not strained. There are chunks of the fruit still in the spread. If the seeds are very small, the seeds are left in as well. Pectin is not necessary.

Preserves are just that. The large chunks or whole fruit that has been mixed with sugar. This is mixed with jam to form a spreadable texture, but still have large bits of fruit in it.

We are making jam here.

Here’s How to Do it:

Start by cleaning all the fruit. Wash it with warm water and set on clean, dry towels ^[22] to dry.

Cut the ends off the rhubarb making sure all the green is gone (The leaves of rhubarb are poisonous). Slice it like you would celery and set aside.

Cut the strawberries into thick slices. Save for later.

Place the sugar and water into a medium sized sauce pan. Turn the heat to high and stir.

Add the rhubarb and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture has come to a rolling boil, let it boil for about 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low.

Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add the strawberries.

Continue to simmer on low, stirring frequently, for about an hour. The texture will be thick. As it cools, it will become a little firmer.

Place in a pint jar or two half pint jars and put the lid on. You can eat it now and then refrigerate the rest for later! It should last in the refrigerator for about a month.

© Copyright 2021 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!