Raspberry Leaf Tea
Growing Raspberries Leaf Tea is a great investment for your urban garden. In addition to the fruit, the leaves make a healing, medicinal tea.
Health Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea
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!
Growing Raspberry Leaf Tea
If you’re looking to add this amazing medicinal plant to your garden, this article, How To Grow & Use Raspberries, is a great place to start. Raspberry Leaf Tea is relatively easy to grow, and it will effortlessly come back each year, making it a low maintenance plant.
Nutritional Profile of Raspberry Leaf Tea
Raspberry Leaf offers so much nutrition to your body, without the caffeine that other teas naturally have. Because it is caffeine free, it can offer your body even better healing.
Raspberry Leaf contains tannins, bioflavonoids, and other benefits, like zinc, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins, including vitamin C and vitamin E. It is also rich in potassium and antioxidants.
How to Harvest Raspberry Leaf Tea
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 & Preparing Raspberry Leaf Tea
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. (This is a personal choice—some feel safer rinsing the leaves, and others worry the added moisture will cause problems with the drying process). I leave mine unrinsed, but do what feels best to you). If you do rinse, give them another good shake, and dry them off as much as possible.
A shady porch or garage is best for drying, although they can handle a little bit of sun if you keep an eye on them. Drying racks also work great here.
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, often making a crinkly, crunching sound, 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 Raspberry Leaf Tea
There are two general schools of thought on what to do next.
- Grind up your leaf to store it
- Leave your leaf whole to store it
Here’s a bit about each.
Grinding your Raspberry Leaf Tea
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. You can even rub the Raspberry Leaf between your clean hands to grind it up.
After grinding, I store mine in half gallon mason jars for the whole year, until the next year’s harvest is ready.
Storing your Raspberry Leaf Tea 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), just 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.
Storing Raspberry Leaf Tea
Whether you decide to keep the leaf whole, or grind it up, store it in a cool, dry place. I use large mason jars in the garage.
This will last you all season until next year’s crop is ready.
How To Make Raspberry Leaf Tea
Making tea from your own garden offers so much healthy value, but it also saves a ton of money.
If you are looking to start brewing your own teas, I highly recommend getting some tea brewing supplies. They are a relatively cheap investment, and provide a great value.
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.
Here are some affiliate links to my absolute favorite kinds.
PEACEHOME TEA CUP INFUSER:
This is my go to mug for tea from the garden! Cheap, fun, and easy to use. Also available in many colors.
GLASS STOVETOP TEAPOT
I love this! While it is safe for the stovetop, be sure to keep it on medium or low heat.
While it works great for the stove, I find it is perfect for making sun tea!
Simply let it diffuse in the sun, and then pour into a mug to enjoy.
For More Tea Supplies…
Be sure to check out the Teatime section of my Amazon Shop.
I’ve also tried putting them in my own tea bags, which can be more labor intensive, and also tea balls, which for me tended to always leak herb into my tea.
The infuser mugs and pots are simple, easy, and get the job done!
Tea Time: Tips For Brewing Raspberry Leaf Tea
Making your own tea can be a ritual and an experience, as well as something you can do quickly on the fly when needed.
To brew your Raspberry Leaf Tea, first heat 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. (You can even let it brew for up to an hour for a stronger, more medicinal tea).
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 video of how to brew
Raspberry Leaf Tea, click here.
Raspberry Leaf Tea 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. You may find the bitter tannin flavor becomes a little addicting.
Where To Buy Raspberry Leaf Tea
If you are not yet growing Raspberry Leaf Tea, and would like to try it, you can purchase it directly from my Shop page or from the affiliate links shown here.
If you find yourself sitting down with a warm cup of raspberry tea, I would love to hear about it! Please leave a comment, and let me know how you like it.
Who Should Avoid Drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea
While Raspberry Leaf Tea is generally considered safe, it is not for everyone. Please consult your doctor and do your own research to see if it is right for you. This article is for information and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice.
Conclusion: Incorporating Raspberry Leaf Tea Into Your Daily Routine
Because it is caffeine free, Raspberry Leaf Tea can be enjoyed morning, noon, and night. It’s a great way to wake up in the morning, have for some relaxation in the afternoon, or a soothing bedtime ritual.
Will you be trying Raspberry Leaf Tea?
Are You Ready?
If you would like to start growing, and using your own food, even in the city, grab your free copy of The Beginner’s Guide To Urban Homesteading. City dwellers are still able to get creative and grow their own food in nearly every circumstance.
Urban Homesteading
If you’re ready to start your own thriving urban homestead, and would like more detailed guidance, click here! Homestead in the City is a friendly, simple, robust and detailed course that will take you from beginner to urban homesteader in one growing season!
Learn everything you need to know about garden planning, space creating, planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, and preserving. Filled with tips to save you time, money, and heartache, this is our most popular course!
To learn more about growing your own food, even in the city, and also how to cook recipes that are compatible with healing, using foods you’ve grown yourself, check out our star spangled course, Homestead in the City.
Other Posts You May Enjoy
Here are some more articles that may be helpful to you on your journey.
- How To Stay Healthy Naturally
- How to Grow & Use Raspberries
- A Gardener’s Guide To Winter
- Gardening In A Small Space
- Health Benefits Of Growing Lemon Balm
- What is Urban Homesteading?
- How To Harvest & Dry Your Own Herbs
Just Getting Started?
Grab our free guide, The Beginner’s Guide To Urban Homesteading to learn more about how to get started with making this dream a reality for yourself.
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Disclaimer: The Little Green Shoot is not a doctor, and does not even play one on TV. Please consult your medical professional for medical advice.
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