make herbal infusions
Chamomile, lavender, mint, lemon balm...herbs can be soothing, invigorating, and even medicinal to drink in an infusion. An herbal infusion is like a very strong herbal tea. To make herbal infusions, you extract the flavors, aromas, oils, and other constituents of leafy herbs by steeping them in boiling hot water.
Instructions
1. Research the medicinal use of the specific herbs you want to make herbal infusions with. Use a reputable reference for herbs.
2. Rinse the fresh herbs, if using, very lightly and briefly in water, then shake--don't blot--dry. The idea is to avoid stripping the leaves of the delicate oils.
3. Add a tablespoon of fresh herbs or a half tablespoon of dried herbs to a cup of pure spring or filtered water in a ceramic or stainless steel teapot.
4. Bring the water and herbs to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. To infuse herbs, cover the pot and let steep 20-30 minutes for dried herbs, 10-15 minutes for fresh herbs. Longer than that and the herbs are likely to turn bitter.
5. Strain and discard the leaves and retain the hot herbal infusion. Cool and use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a day. Herbal infusions are best used by sipping them over a long period of time rather than gulping them down all at once.
Tags: fresh herbs, herbal infusions, make herbal, make herbal infusions, dried herbs, herbal infusion