Bushcraft Tea ¬ Wild

[WombleWill]

Nothings easier then dipping a PG tips in a mug of boiling water, but unfortunatly thats not always the case while wild camping as i've found out;

Pine Needle Tea - Get a few sprigs of Pine Needles and slice in half with your knife or a rock, then put in your mug of boiling hot water and crush as much as you can with a spoon or a twig? don't boil the tea anymore or else you will start boiling off vital Vitamin C. Pine Needle's have the same amount of vitamin C as half a douzen lemons ;D Pine Needle tea a day keeps the colds away!

Nettle Tea - Get a few baby nettle leaves, be careful though these will sting you! perhaps wear gloves or pull them off with some sticks. then put them in some boiling hot water and mash them up.

Dandelion Tea - The edible parts are the roots, leaves, flower head and petals, don't eat the stems as they have the milky liquid inside them and this will upset your stomach even more so then any other parts of the plant. baby dandelions are the best as they aren't as bitter. Just be sure to make sure you don't get any sickness from this tea as you'll become even more dehydrated from being sick.

Mint Tea - I've taken a small baggie of Mint leaves before while wildcamping and made a really nice minty water brew ;P can't beat it especially with a nice warm fire and some soup.

[Tony1948]

Hi will good tips for the budding wild camper Alb..........TONY:camping:

[Bernie]

I've wanted to try pine needle tea ever since seeing Ray Mears do it on the telly. Can you describe the flavour? Do you think kids would enjoy it, or should I lace it with sugar?

[andy202wr]

I fancy a Pine Needle Tea,i've just put the kettle on T^

[WombleWill]

It can taste acidic and can upset your stomach so I wouldn't advise giving it to kids, it's vitamin C enriched but it still isn't worth getting a runny tummy over, but it's quite an unpleasant taste if you use older needles, the young ones are the best ;) so I would add sugar to it... And Enjoy!
It's definitely personal preference to taste but I don't mind the taste without sugar. And there's often an abundance of the stuff in woodlands so it's a easier drink and better for you than water!
Thanks for all the posts!

[Whistle]

Yeah , very nice subheadings Womblewill !!!

Very worthwhile spending the time on ... Ooooooo ... I'll have to do mine like that in future !!!

Cheers Whistle

[stracy]

Nothings easier then dipping a PG tips in a mug of boiling water, but unfortunatly thats not always the case while wild camping as i've found out;

Pine Needle Tea - Get a few sprigs of Pine Needles and slice in half with your knife or a rock, then put in your mug of boiling hot water and crush as much as you can with a spoon or a twig? don't boil the tea anymore or else you will start boiling off vital Vitamin C. Pine Needle's have the same amount of vitamin C as half a douzen lemons ;D Pine Needle tea a day keeps the colds away!

Nettle Tea - Get a few baby nettle leaves, be careful though these will sting you! perhaps wear gloves or pull them off with some sticks. then put them in some boiling hot water and mash them up.

Dandelion Tea - The edible parts are the roots, leaves, flower head and petals, don't eat the stems as they have the milky liquid inside them and this will upset your stomach even more so then any other parts of the plant. baby dandelions are the best as they aren't as bitter. Just be sure to make sure you don't get any sickness from this tea as you'll become even more dehydrated from being sick.

Mint Tea - I've taken a small baggie of Mint leaves before while wildcamping and made a really nice minty water brew ;P can't beat it especially with a nice warm fire and some soup.

Great recipe ideas - do you sometimes grow your own ingredients for your teas or do you buy the bags of tea always? I wonder because I thought that it might be a great idea to grow some flowers uk (http://www.serenataflowers.com) and leaves and other ingredients to make teas for one's traveling adventures? Wouldn't that be much cheaper considering the cost for camping that increased enormously in the last past years.

[AdrianRose]

I made Acorn coffee a couple of years back and must say that I was very surprised at how palatable it was. I really like pine needle tea too, especially after it has cooled a little on a summers evening..

Ade

[jbrown14]

My Aunt has a type of mint that grows in her garden which has a distinct chocolate flavor, makes a fantastic tea. Just about any mint makes a great tea. Best if dried first, though.

[JonnyP]

My Aunt has a type of mint that grows in her garden which has a distinct chocolate flavor, makes a fantastic tea. Just about any mint makes a great tea. Best if dried first, though.

Chocolate mint tea sounds good..

Chamomile tea is my fav, and nettle is surprisingly good too.

[Ben Casey]

Chamomile tea is good for cleaning wounds and if you have weepy/puss in your eyes we used it in Germany when I was a care worker :)

[AdrianRose]

Sorry I forgot to mention Pineapple Weed Tea, it's my favourite warm summers evening drink.

And LOADED with vitamins, minerals and volatile compounds that are superb for the immune system.

Ade.

[luresalive]

Grand fir tea is very nice, got a slight citrus kick to it aswell.

[JonnyP]

Grand fir tea is very nice, got a slight citrus kick to it aswell.

Sounds expensive, that one mate..

[luresalive]

;):happy-clapping: It's actually a good tree to know Jonny, good for fire lighting, good medicinal properties and a nice drink to boot!

[monstamon]

Just had some Gower pine needle tea, was lovely :) had a slightly funky smell tho.

[Wardy]

I'm Definatly gonna try some pine needle and some nettle tea when I next go out.

Thanks

[f0rm4t]

I've wanted to try pine needle tea too, but I understand some of the varieties are toxic. How do you identify them?

[Ehecatl]

Let your mate drink the first cupper? ;)

[JonnyP]

Anyone tried labrador tea before..? We collected some in Sweden some years ago. Interesting taste, but not like wet dog, before someone asks lol..

[OakAshandThorn]

Here's an OakAshandThorn original ;)...

*All of the following plant parts should be dried for best taste:
1/2 tbsp Yarrow leaves and flowers
1/2 tbsp Goldenrod (Sweet Goldenrod, Solidago odora, is best) leaves and flowers
1/2 tbsp Spearmint leaves
1/2 tbsp Catmint leaves and flowers
1/2 tbsp Wild Rose (Sweetbrier, Rosa eglanteria, is excellent) leaves

- For 12 cups
Makes a fantastic brew from mid-spring to late summer :D

Or if I want something simpler, I'll go with 1tbsp of dried Yarrow leaves and flowers (for 8 cups) - gently cooling and very refreshing, like Peppermint but milder.

[f0rm4t]

Let your mate drink the first cupper? ;)

Tea over screen now!

[OakAshandThorn]

I've wanted to try pine needle tea too, but I understand some of the varieties are toxic. How do you identify them?
Toxic :confused2:? As far as I know, none of the varieties in North America or Europe are toxic. But out of curiosity, who told you some species were poisonous?

[Wardy]

Today I took a stroll in the woods and came across a shelter and fire pit, so i sat made a small fire and made some nettle tea for the very first time, not sure I did it in the correct fashion but it actually tasted pretty good 7760
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I think I'll be doing "wild tea" more often

[Old Guard]

Today I took a stroll in the woods and came across a shelter and fire pit, so i sat made a small fire and made some nettle tea for the very first time, not sure I did it in the correct fashion but it actually tasted pretty good 7760
7761
7762
7763
I think I'll be doing "wild tea" more often

Nice one Dan, you sure the fire was big enough ? .......LOL:campfire:

[Wardy]

It may look big but it wasn't, just a few sticks that where left behind there was a huge circle of rocks full up with ashes think I stumbled apon some ones regular camp was a bench made and a shelter

[Old Guard]

cool you will have to show me when I am over next :D

[Dave ward]

I've heard others state that certain pine trees are toxic and you shouldnt use the needles and nuts from these as they can do real damage. Now this was off videos off YouTube, after a search on how to make pine needle tea. Now im not one to believe everything i see and hear on the internet, but it has made me abit worried about having a go at making it. I can't remember what type of pine trees are ment to be toxic but that's why im in two minds about doing it every time im right next to a pine tree ready to have a go ha ha

[OakAshandThorn]

I've heard others state that certain pine trees are toxic and you shouldnt use the needles and nuts from these as they can do real damage. Now this was off videos off YouTube, after a search on how to make pine needle tea. Now im not one to believe everything i see and hear on the internet, but it has made me abit worried about having a go at making it. I can't remember what type of pine trees are ment to be toxic but that's why im in two minds about doing it every time im right next to a pine tree ready to have a go ha ha
As far as I know, no Pines in North America or Europe are at all toxic. Some may be unpalatable, but not poisonous. I don't call Larches, Douglas-Firs, Spruces, Firs, and Hemlocks (Tsuga spp) "Pines", but these are also not poisonous, though some species may not be as palatable as others.
The Yews, on the other hand, are the only toxic conifers (though I cannot speak for Baldcypress, Sequoia, and Redwood). My guess is that the people you are referring to cannot tell the difference between Yews and other conifers, or perhaps they lump all conifers together under the term "Pine" (identifying a Yew as a "Pine", creating confusion). Pines are their own separate group under the genus Pinus.

[Dave ward]

Thanks hornashandthorn, good advise there and tomorrow i think I'll have a go at making some pine tea :) as yoda once said "wise you are"

[Wardy]

Great advise wish my tree ident and knowledge was better 😊

[OakAshandThorn]

Just trying to sort out confusion. In the New England woods, I can identify nearly all native species in most seasons...but when it comes to some non-indigenous species and hybrids, all bets are off. I am somewhat familiar with European trees, but probably not nearly as knowledgeable as some of the folks here ;).