whole lemon and ginger tea with honey

between the farmers market and chinese medical school, i get a lot of different recipes relayed to me in short little snippets – usually no more than 15 words or so.  off the top of my head i think of the sweet pickled carrots and daikon or the okra and miso marinara, both of which the farmer i work for told me about.  but there are many, many more that have found their way into my diet. this recipe is one someone at my school gave me on... Read More

farmers’ market find: lemon verbena!

so i actually didn’t find this particular lemon verbena at the farmers’ market, but it is a special treat when i do find it there.  this lemon verbena actually came from my boss’ backyard – though the plant was originally started as a small seedling from the farmers’ market, it had now sprouted into a substantial woody shrub, capable of producing tons of new leaves each week. this herb is a special treat as iced tea... Read More

farmers’ market find: flowering tea!

the market isn’t all about fruits and veggies.  i’ve been talked into buying my weight in hummus, found really great imported olive oil and fair-trade maca, people even give massages at some farmers’ markets.  there are all sorts of artisan vendors, it varies so much from market to market. i worked at the new sunday los feliz farmer’s market a few weeks back, and my stand was set up next to a classmate of mine with a tea... Read More

the natural goodness of ginger

ginger has been used for thousands of years in chinese medicine to treat stomach disorders like persistent nausea, motion sickness, morning sickness, loss of appetite or anorexia.  but it also treats mild lung disorders, like upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis or a simple cold and cough.  it reduces toxicity which means it is anti-bacterial, and explains why ginger is always served with sushi – to battle the bacteria in the raw... Read More

simply cinnamon tea

summer is the season of iced tea.  and what better than a naturally sweet, caffeine-free tea that’s easy to make on the cheap.  all you need is a few sticks of cinnamon, some water and some time on the stove. depending on how much sap the cinnamon bark contains, the tea will vary in sweetness.  experiment yourself and see what you come up with. Read More  Read More

sweet basil and mint iced tea

last year when i went to san francisco to visit my friends rose and kim, rose made sweet basil and mint iced tea for a picnic we had in golden gate park.  it was simply wonderful and refreshing to drink while spending a beautiful summer day outdoors. you may not think of basil as an herb you would use for tea, but being in the mint family it shares many of its sweet, cooling properties.  and they go very nicely together.  pick up some fresh herbs... Read More