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Best way and time to harvest your green tea leaves??
monica197
Posts: 542 ✭✭✭
Anyone have some tips that are tried and true for harvesting and storing your green tea leaves?
Comments
Hey @monica197 I am envious that you have your own Camellia sinensis to pick fresh tea. I've wanted to plant a hedge, so I could do the same, ever since I visited a tea plantation in China last year. Anyway I did a bit of research and apparently you pick the youngest leaves, pluck by hand. When you have enough, dry in the shade for couple of hrs. Then steam for 1 min(this stops the leaves from oxidizing and turning brown) then spread over parchment paper on a tray and place in oven for 20 mins at 250F. Store in a container that won't let the light affect the tea. I would experiment on the steaming part, as that seems very important.
The other thing I learned is that green tea is good for 3 or 4 cups(don't have to replace tea for every cup or pot ) and you boil at a lower temp, so boil your kettle and let it cool for 10 mins, that way you get the best out of your tea. You can also eat the tea when your done!
@monica197 Wonderful place to be at, wondering how to harvest and store green tea. The directions given by @jodienancarrow seem to be the universal ones. I hope to someday be in your position. I will be trying again in the next year since my 18 yr-old corgi mix decided to eat my baby camelia sinesis earlier this spring.
Perhaps my old girl's habit of grazing and eating the vegetable garden (and melons, vines, leaves) are the key her her longevity????🤣
WHEN I have a large enough plant I plan on "pruning" for the tea cup while harvesting in the yard/garden on a weekly basis. As with all plants, the more pruning equals bushier growth. All within reason of course!
@jodienancarrow Thanks for the information. I can't wait to have a go at it.
@Silkiemamuska We had a dog when I was young who ate EVERYTHING - shingles...that was a crazy one, stuff in wastebaskets, everything. One year he even ate all the candy in my bother's Easter basket while we were at church! We alway smoked that we should have named him Hoover instead of Smitty!
@monica197 Did the "hoover" like quality add to Smitty's lifespan, do you think????
Ha - whatever, he had enough roughage in his old age😂