Raspberry Leaf Tea

Growing Raspberries is a great investment! Besides the juicy, yummy fruit, their leaves are also great for medicinal tea. 

How to Harvest Raspberry Leaf

In the spring, before your canes start to bloom, is the best time to harvest the leaves of your plants. Raspberries can take up a lot of space, as they reproduce fairly quickly. Since I live in a small space, I am constantly trying to make more room! Because of this, I prune mine probably more than a typical gardener would. My space is so small that if I let them go, they would take up my whole area. I am constantly trimming, so we can still get through there with our lawn mower! As a consequence of this, I have a lot of Raspberry Leaf Tea!

Raspberries have two sets of canes, older ones that look a little more weathered and shriveled (these produce fruit), and more fresh, lush, green canes (these are the best for tea). Since I am always making space, I will sometimes prune whole canes to harvest for tea, but you could easily just do the tops and sides of the canes, too. I find it easier to leave the leaves on the canes to dry, but on a smaller scale, you could pick leaves individually and dry them in a dehydrator.

Drying Raspberry Leaf

 Once you have your canes and leaves harvested, it is time to dry them. If you’re drying individual leaves, you may set them on racks in your oven or dehydrator. Since I do whole canes, it is easier for me to dry them naturally. It also saves space in the dehydrator, and I can do more at once this way.

For this method, tie the canes in a bundle after harvesting, and hang them from the ceiling or porch, first giving them a really good shake to dust off any debris. You may also rinse your leaves at this time. Give them another good shake, and dry them off as much as possible. The amount of time it will take for them to dry will vary, depending on the weather, and your area, but a week or two is usually good. When the leaves look and feel completely dry, and crumble in your fingers, they are ready.

The down side of drying the leaves on the canes, is taking the leaves off after they are dry. This job can be a bit prickly, and you gotta mind your p’s and q’s! I usually just snip them off with scissors, and sometimes wear gloves for extra protection, too. 

Storing your Tea

There are two general schools of thought on what to do next.

1. Grind up your leaf to store it
2. Leave your leaf whole to store it

Here’s a bit about each. 

Grinding your Leaf

The major plus side of this method is that your leaf will become much smaller, and easier to store. There is nothing else you need to do at all at tea time, except put it in your tea. To grind your leaf, you can put it in a blender or spice grinder, but I’ve found Ninjas or food processors work the best for me. I store mine in half gallon mason jars for the whole year, until the next year’s harvest is ready. 

Storing your Leaf Whole

Many say it is better to leave your leaf whole for storage, since it maintains its medicinal properties much better this way. The drawback is that it takes up more storage space, and at tea time you will need to grind it up, or (if you prefer the lazy method like I do), crush it up a bit between your fingers. 

Both methods have great benefits, and it’s truly just a matter of taste, and what you choose to do for yourself. I do both. 

Whichever way you choose, here’s how to make it!

If you use a lot of tea from your garden, you may want to invest in some good tea strainers or infuser mugs. I have some favorites posted in my Shop page. There are several different kinds, these are just the ones I prefer.

I’ve also tried putting them in my own tea bags, which was super labor intensive, and also tea balls, which for me tended to always leak herb into my tea. The infuser mugs are simple, easy, and get the job done!

Tea Time

Heat some filtered water in your tea kettle, and place 1 tablespoon of tea in your infuser. Pour the water in your 16 oz mug. Let it steep for 5-15 minutes covered. This optimizes its medicinal properties. Once your tea is ready, discard the tea leaves into your compost or garbage. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice warm cup of tea. 

For a quick tiktok video of how to brew Raspberry Leaf Tea, click here.

Flavor

This is a very subtle and mild tea, that some compare to black tea, and others compare to green tea. It’s a much more mild version of either, and is of course, completely free of caffeine. 

Medicinal Benefits of Raspberry Leaf 

Raspberry Leaf Tea is a great tea for anyone, especially women. It helps ease difficulty with labor, lactation, infertility, and menstrual cycles. It is also a great source of iron and a good blood detoxifier. The tannins are astringent which helps with bloating, as well. 

If you’re growing raspberries already, this is an easy one to try. It’s also a great reason to start growing raspberries!

Buying Raspberry Leaf Tea

If you would like to try some Raspberry Leaf Tea, you can purchase it directly from my Shop page. If you find yourself sitting down with a warm cup of raspberry tea, I would love to hear about it!

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