Fireweed narrow-leaved or Ivan-tea has been known to people for a long time. His medicinal properties used in folk medicine for the treatment of the most various diseases. Medicinal raw materials are the leaves and flowers of the plant.
Fireweed leaves contain carotene, tannins, mucus, vitamin C, coumarins, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins. A fragrant "Koporsky tea" is prepared from its leaves. Ivan tea production professional equipment takes place on private farms in accordance with all technological processes.
The preparation of this wonderful healthy drink takes place on bulky Chinese equipment. To dry the collected leaves, special drying ovens are used. But the procurement of raw materials, as in the old days, manually.
When is it right to prepare and how to dry this miraculous herb at home?
Herb picking
During the flowering period, fireweed becomes suitable for collecting young leaves for making tea. The preparation of raw materials for the preparation of Koporye tea is within the power of everyone.
It is necessary to produce a collection of grass when the flowers are still half in bud. Fireweed blooms from late July to September. At the end of summer, the seeds of Ivan-tea ripen, and then fluff appears on the ripened beans, and it is he who should not get into the herbal collection.
Ivan-tea leaves for drying are harvested after the dew has dried, wet raw materials are unsuitable for harvesting.. The collection point must be away from highways, residential areas. Carefully selected, healthy leaves are a guarantee of a good result. To make tea, it is necessary to collect and dry the leaves of the plant, but, if desired, you can add to herbal tea and tops of the flower brush.
Washing and drying
Leaves and flowers, even if they grew far from the track, are still covered with a thin layer of dust, so they need to be washed and dried. After washing, the collected raw materials are laid out on clean sheets of paper or on a canvas, so drying begins. Be sure to make sure that direct drops do not fall on the drying grass. Sun rays. Periodically carefully turn the leaves from side to side, achieving uniform drying..
If you just dry and brew Ivan tea, you get a not very tasty herbal decoction that does not resemble tea in any way. To obtain high-quality tea, which has long been valued in Russia, it is necessary assembled sheet not just dry, but subjected to a fermentation process.
Fermentation
Fireweed has everything necessary for this complex process - its juices and enzymes. There are several ways to ferment leaves. You need to be patient so that the processing of the collected sheet will result in high-quality raw materials.
The easy way to ferment
The raw material already ready for fermentation is a little dried on fresh air without access to sunlight, a leaf of Ivan - tea, is rubbed with light pressure in even portions between the palms. The grated sheet is placed in a container, jar or bucket, covered with a cloth and left in a cool room for a day and a half for “fermentation”.
During this time, the juices released and the crumpled leaf and the enzymes themselves will begin to act on the leaf - the smell, color of the raw material will change and, after the allotted time, the raw material will be ready, now it remains only to place it in a gas or electric oven and dry.
The plant mass removed from the container must be periodically loosened and dried in the oven with the door ajar. The temperature should be no more than 100 degrees. If you want to save tea in the form of a tile, then it must be turned over, without fluffing, in a dense layer.
Complete drying of the leaf is determined "by eye" - dry raw materials are about five times lighter than raw ones. Properly dried tea is stored in a ceramic or glass container for at least three years.
forgotten way
This method will require you to carefully prepare. In addition to the container in which the tea will be placed for fermentation, you need to prepare linen fabric. Spread, moistened clean water linen, spread the assembled sheet over it with a layer of 2-3 centimeters and twist it in the form of a roll. We fix the resulting twist with an elastic band or cord.
Mandatory wetting of the fabric prevents the loss of fragrant vegetable juice. We bend the resulting twist for about half an hour - we unbend it in our hands. During this procedure, all the leaves in the twist should be evenly saturated with juice. Then, we leave the twist for the primary fermentation process for a couple of hours.
During this time, temperature changes begin to occur in the roll - taking a roll of grass in your hands, you will feel the heat from the crumpled grass. Approximately 37-38 degrees, "by eye", indicate the completion of the primary fermentation process. The raw material obtained as a result of this procedure is light and nice smell fermentation.
The resulting mass must be tightly packed in a prepared container, covered with a lid and placed to complete the fermentation process in a cool room for about one and a half to two days. The longer the fermentation process of tea, the more piquant will be its taste. It is possible, upon completion of the process, to subject the leaf to additional fermentation and grind it with your hands, extracted from the mass container.
You can skip the harvesting process by passing the prepared raw materials through a meat grinder, from which the knives were previously removed, but the mechanical destruction of the leaf fibers is, without a doubt, the taste of tea.
The mass prepared for drying moves from a cool room to a warm place and is left covered with a damp cloth for another couple of hours. The elastic consistency of the raw material indicates that it is properly processed. After the time has passed, place the prepared mass in the oven and begin to dry.
The temperature at the beginning of drying should be no more than 100 degrees, the oven door is ajar. Before the end of drying, and this is at least two hours, you can slightly increase the temperature. The tea should dry completely, but not burn out.
The preparation procedure is quite painstaking and scrupulous.
Fermentation under oppression in own juice
For the fermentation of fireweed in own juice, all leaves and color are divided in half. Juice is squeezed out of one half of the leaves. The remaining collection is placed in an enameled container and poured with liquid squeezed out of the plant, it will not be very much, since it is quite difficult to squeeze the juice from the leaves.
The prepared mixture of juice and leaves must be placed under oppression. The weight of the oppression must be at least 20 kilograms. If a metal object is used as oppression, then everything must be done to prevent the raw material from touching the metal, for example, wrap the oppression with cellophane.
After three days, the fermentation process will be completed and the tea is ready for the drying procedure. The temperature should be no higher than 90 degrees and the mixture in the oven should be constantly monitored and thoroughly mixed with a wooden spoon or spatula. After 30-40 minutes of the raw materials being in the oven, the temperature can be slightly raised. Such drying lasts until the raw materials are completely dry. It is important not to let the leaf burn - this will have a bad effect on the quality of the final product.
If you properly dry fireweed and adhere to all drying technological processes, you can organize the production of a fragrant and healthy drink at home, which our ancestors considered a panacea for many diseases.
Julia Vern 316 658 24
Nectar smell and amazing taste - this is how Ivan-tea, well-known to everyone and beloved by many, also called fireweed, characterizes it. In ancient times in Russia, infusions were made from it and taken orally as the real thing. medicine capable of curing many diseases. Today we will find out when to collect Ivan tea, how to harvest, dry and ferment this miracle plant at home, evaluate all the complexities of these processes and think - is it worth starting this whole thing?
June and August are the most the best time in order to collect Ivan-tea.
Choose dry weather, and consider a few more points:
- The plant should grow away from roads, where layers of dust and other dangerous elements do not settle on the leaves.
- It is desirable that the place was a little shaded. For example, next to a forest belt. It is said that such leaves will be easier to ferment.
- Collect leaves only from the middle of the trunk, starting at the peduncle. Leave the lower ones, as they are necessary for fireweed to feed with moisture. Also, the lower leaves are rough.
No need to ruin Ivan tea, because in next year you may no longer find it - the plant will simply die at your hands.
Even in a separate bag, you can (and even need to) collect fireweed flowers. Dry them at home, put them in a jar and then add them to your favorite tea.
withering
By the word it can be understood that in the course of this process The leaves should curl up a bit. To do this, pour them on a newspaper or other surface for a maximum of a day. 24 hours will be enough. However, this layer should be no more than five centimeters, and you will also need to periodically mix the leaves so that they are all in approximately the same condition.
You can not leave them on the street, and in the house you need to choose a place where they will not reach the sun's rays. The sun and wind will dry them, not letting them wither. If you notice bad leaves, be sure to remove them, as well as snails and other debris. In no case should you wash it - just sort it out.
When the day comes to an end, squeeze one sheet in half. If the midrib crackles, it's not ready. This usually happens in cloudy and rainy weather, and you have to wait more than 24 hours.
Twisting
If you have a large volume for harvesting willow-tea, it is not recommended to perform such an action manually. It is better to scroll through a meat grinder. When this is not possible, take the sheets and rub them between your palms so that they end up twisting into a “sausage”. This must be done until a little juice comes out.
Before you dry Ivan tea, you need to prepare it. To make it real, high-quality and tasty, take Special attention fermentation of Ivan tea at home. She plays a huge role.
After twisting by hand or with a meat grinder, put the leaves in a plastic or ceramic container, or you can take enamelware. If you twisted them with a meat grinder, put additional pressure on them with your hands to tamp a little, and if by hand, cover with a lid and put stones on top in order to create pressure for a while. Cover with a cloth and leave to ferment. Now consider the fermentation methods, because they determine what the tea will be like in the end.
- Light degree - 3-6 hours. A fruity-floral scent begins to emerge. The taste of tea is soft, the aroma is strong, but delicate.
- The average degree is 10-16 hours. Tea has a slight sourness, tart, pronounced aroma.
- Deep degree - 20-36 hours. Tart with a light aroma.
Remember that it is better if it is a little under-fermented than over-fermented, because the likelihood of mold is high.
Drying
This is last process. Let's talk about how to dry Ivan tea at home.
If you scrolled the leaves by hand, after fermentation, cut the "sausages" into half-centimeter pieces. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread the leaves in a layer of one centimeter. Loosen a little so that there are no lumps left. Now you can dry Ivan tea in the oven.
Warm it up to one hundred degrees and leave to dry for up to two hours. Open the door just a little. Then lower the temperature to around 50°C. So the leaves should finally dry out. It is important that it needs to be stirred periodically. Try to touch: the tea leaves should break and take on the appearance of real tea. Be careful not to overdo or ruin your efforts.
After that, it still needs to be dried. When it cools down at room temperature, pour it into a bag of thin fabric and hang it outside (you can use a clothesline). If it's raining or cloudy, find a place for it in the house.
Time is different. When ready, it will rustle in the bag when shaking. You can also dry it in a pan with thick walls: for half an hour, while constantly shaking.
Leaves are not dried if:
- there is a strong aroma;
- the granules are crushed and crumble easily.
Ivan tea should be stored in glass jars, or in metal / birch bark boxes. The jars are covered with polyethylene lids. You can put containers, for example, in a pantry, or another place where it is dry and dark. To enjoy the taste of your own handmade tea, pour the tea leaves into a tin.
Each of us knows that there is nothing better than that that is prepared or made by hand. Ivan-tea is a vivid confirmation of this, since all the ingredients will have to be collected, dried and cooked on their own. Naturally, you can also purchase a ready-made composition, but in this case you should not count on a huge portion of the pleasure received in the process of working with raw materials. And in the process of preparation, the ingredients are filled not only natural forces, but also care, love of the owner.
We have already dwelled in detail on the brewing of useful fragrant drink. And I would like to devote today's article to the issue of collecting and harvesting willow-tea.
When and how to prepare Ivan tea?
From this article you will learn:
Fireweed is best collected during the flowering period of the plant. Traditionally, this is the period from mid-July to the end of August. If you notice that the plant is slightly fluffy, it is better to refuse to collect it, since it lacks healing properties. Professionals collect raw materials in the early morning. Better if it is dry weather. As for the collection technology, it looks like this:
- with one hand it is necessary to clamp the plant stem;
- the second is carried out in the direction from top to bottom;
- when collecting leaves, pay close attention to the appearance of the plant, its integrity.
Drying and fermentation process at home
After the collection process is completed, the raw materials should be thoroughly and extremely carefully dried. Ivan tea is laid out on a small and clean surface (layer thickness should not exceed 5 cm). Give some time for the flowers and leaves to dry. In the vast majority of cases, a day will be enough. It is best to do everything in a dark place where bright sunlight does not penetrate.
« When drying the leaves in the sun, be prepared for the fact that it will dry out in a few hours and all its beneficial properties will disappear. You should not lay out raw materials on a regular newspaper, it is not suitable for this purpose.».
After partial drying of the raw materials, it is necessary to proceed to the second stage of preparation - fermentation, using one of the methods described below.
traditional method
- Grind in the palms of all the prepared raw materials so that a little juice comes out of the leaves.
- Put everything in a big jar.
- The ingredients are covered with a wet cloth and left for 36 hours in a dark place.
The twist method
This method was used by our ancestors. His distinguishing feature- laboriousness. However, it guarantees a huge practical experience and exceptionally high quality components. Fermentation Ivan-tea "twist":
- On the flat surface you need to spread linen fabric. Then it must be moistened (it is better to use a spray or spray bottle).
- Slightly dried raw materials are carefully laid out on a canvas, its thickness should not exceed 3 cm.
- The fabric is folded into a kind of ordinary "roll". This must be done as tightly as possible, while moisturizing the fabric itself.
- The components of the "roll" are tied with a regular rope for secure fixation.
- The raw materials are ground, bending and straightening the "roll", the average duration of the process is 30 minutes.
- In this state, the components are left for the next 3 hours, until the ingredients begin to ferment.
- Readiness is better to check with your palms: heat should come from the components. This indicates the completion of the first stage of fermentation. After that, the roll must be unfolded and the components placed in a transparent container, in which the 2nd stage of fermentation will take place. All components are covered with a cloth (thoroughly moistened) and left for 36 hours.
How Koporye tea is dried
After completing the fermentation of tea in one of the ways, it is necessary to dry it. To do this, you can use several methods.
In the oven:
- Raw materials are laid out on a baking sheet.
- Then the components are placed in the oven (it is preheated to 100 degrees). Pay attention to the fact that the door is ajar, and the leaves themselves are constantly stirred.
- It is difficult to talk about the exact time of preparation of the composition, since everything is strictly individual. In most cases, this takes 1 to 3 hours. Please note that the color of the tea should be light brown. Readiness is also indicated by a decrease in its volume by 5 times.
Experts place under a baking sheet ceramic tiles or heat-resistant brick, getting an analogue of the traditional Russian stove.
In the dryer:
A conventional electric dryer, which is used for vegetables, does an excellent job of drying willow tea. The sequence of actions is extremely simple:
- Raw materials are laid out on pallets.
- Inside set the temperature at 45-50 degrees.
- Turn on the device.
- The drying process takes 4 to 6 hours.
Please note that if properly stored, Koporye tea retains its beneficial properties for 2 years. It is best to store it in an airtight glass container with a carefully closed lid. Before drinking tea, it is best to store it for at least 1 month.
Harvesting Ivan tea at home is a laborious and responsible process with a huge number of various nuances. And if you do not have free time to harvest and dry the components, it is better to purchase a ready-made collection.
Share your favorite tea recipe with our website readers!
Ivan-tea is a medicinal plant with a mass useful properties. It has long been brewed by peasants who knew a lot about medicinal herbs. Ancient medicine was based on decoctions and herbal remedies. There are several ways to properly collect, dry Ivan tea in the oven and without it. Following the steps, you get a delicious fragrant tea with healing properties. Many are accustomed to the fact that medicines are unpleasant in taste, but not with fireweed. It is also possible to improve health with the pleasure of taste sensations with the help of an ordinary plant. Ivan-tea is a plant that allows you to enjoy the rich floral smell and taste of the decoction.
How to dry Ivan tea without an oven using technology
The process of drying fireweed, as Ivan-tea is scientifically called, consists of stages. Initially, you need to perform the correct collection. For the collection point, you need to choose a clean area without roads and industrial facilities. Different parts of the plant are chosen for drying, but mostly these are leaves, which have most of the useful components. Optionally, you can collect and part of the inflorescences.
The collected raw materials must be washed and laid out on a dry surface. You can use a cloth or paper towels. The leaves are left in shady place so that the sun's rays do not dry them out much. The drying process lasts within a day, the leaves need to be mixed periodically. They should not be too dry, but only lethargic. Next comes the fermentation process, which is responsible for the flowery rich taste of tea.
Is it possible to dry Ivan tea in the oven and how to do it right
With the process of conventional drying, everything is clear, but many people have a question whether everything can be done faster in other ways. There is great option dried in the oven. This greatly speeds up the process and does not require much effort. Speaking about how to properly dry Ivan tea in the oven, you need to understand that when you reach this step, all previous steps must be according to technology. The taste of the broth and its saturation will be determined by where the raw materials were collected, at what stage of development the plant was, whether the collection was carried out correctly, etc. Provided that all the technology was correct, you can safely start drying.
How to properly and how much to dry Ivan tea in the oven
Before starting drying with an oven, you need to correctly complete the fermentation stage of tea. Grass leaves should secrete a special juice located in the cells of the plant. By doing this, the tea will have a pronounced taste. It is necessary to take a part of the already dried leaves in the palm of your hand and twist them in the form of knots or tubules. After that, juice will appear. After performing this operation, all the raw materials are folded into the dishes with a layer of five centimeters and covered with a cloth. Before sending the raw materials to the oven, where it is planned to dry Ivan tea, it is required, having covered the plant, to send it to sunny place. It should stand for 8-20 hours at temperature indicators no more than +27 degrees. It is very important not to forget about the leaves. During this time, an oxidation process takes place and a floral taste is acquired. The fermentation process is over, now you can proceed to last stage- Drying in an oven.
People involved in the constant collection of herbs correctly perform the stages of preparing raw materials to obtain ready-made delicious tea. For those who have just decided to do this exciting process, there are many tips to help you do everything right.
How long does it take to dry Ivan tea in the oven and at what temperature?
After fermentation is completed, the plant components are laid out on a baking sheet, covering it with parchment. Keeping the saturation of the plant and not overdrying it is the main task that requires knowledge: at what temperature the process is performed. If you put fireweed in an oven with 200 degrees, it will lose all its properties, and its use will no longer make sense. So Ivan tea cannot be dried in the oven at temperatures above 60 degrees. This indicator is the most optimal. It is also recommended not to close the oven completely, so that there is little air access.
The readiness of raw materials is checked by hand. Dried leaves should not stick to your hands and break easily. At the same time, it is very important not to bring them to a state of dust. The drying process itself takes about one hour. You need to constantly check the condition of the grass, so as not to spoil it. When the leaves acquire the desired state, you need to turn off the oven and leave it open, while not removing the raw materials from there. Ready fireweed in your own way appearance recalls common varieties black tea. Other drying methods are also recommended: using an oven or an electric dryer. It is believed that a real Russian stove is able to endow the plant with healing energy. In fact, it is very difficult to find such a stove in a modern city, so you have to use possible options drying.
For those who seriously decide to take up this process, we have a video on how to dry Ivan tea in the oven. It details how best to complete all the preparation steps and not overexpose the herb. If it is dried out, it will acquire an unpleasant taste of paper. This is undesirable consequences, because the broth should be not only useful, but also pleasant to the taste. Therefore, the instructional video is very convenient way explanations, because everything happens clearly. No need to read from a piece of paper what and where to put, how to turn it on and off, how ready to bring it. There is also a video about correct collection, the fermentation process and other components in the preparation of medicinal plants.
With such simple actions, you can dry Ivan tea in the oven, stocking up in other ways useful plants for the winter. In addition to useful properties, the herb is pleasant in taste and smell. It will help keep you warm in cold weather. autumn evenings and improve health. Fireweed has everything you need for strong immunity and good mood.
Heard about healing properties oh Ivan-tea (fireweed), many begin to make their own tea leaves from it. Those who just want to join such a homemade drink and harvest grass on their own should know what Ivan tea is - how to collect and dry it, and also how to use fireweed. If you carefully follow all the rules for making such tea leaves, you can get a drink whose taste is more pleasant to many than ordinary tea.
What is Ivan tea
The plant, which is known to many as Ivan tea, has many other names: Koporsky tea, narrow-leaved fireweed, Ivanova grass. He settled middle lane Russia. Ivan tea especially loves abandoned fields, wastelands and forest clearings. Fireweed, which was used by our ancestors for medicinal purposes, is a plant with a long stem up to one and a half meters high and narrow leaves. In summer, crimson and pink flowers.
Beneficial features
Fireweed contains in high concentration:
- titanium, copper, calcium, manganese, sodium, potassium, nickel, iron;
- vitamins B and C and ascorbic acid(more than citrus fruits);
- tannins and bioflavonoids
Combination high content protein and caffeine in willowherb make the plant unique for making tonic drinks. It will be more effective even than green tea. Ivan-tea is recommended in the presence of neuroses, psychological problems. There is no getting used to it. The use of fireweed has the following effects:
- elimination of the consequences of food poisoning and alcohol abuse;
- caries prevention;
- removal of toxins from the body;
- strengthening hair roots;
- prevention of prostatitis;
- helps with diseases of the kidneys and liver;
- normalizes blood pressure;
- eliminates headache;
- enhances immunity;
- relieves symptoms of epilepsy;
- treats flatulence, colitis and enterocolitis;
- eliminates inflammation of the respiratory and urinary tract;
- increases the amount of breast milk.
When to collect Ivan tea
If you want to try your own Ivan tea, you must remember how to collect and dry it. In the northern regions, fireweed blooms from mid-July, and in the south - in late June-early July. It is necessary to start collecting willow-tea during the flowering period, but before the entire flower brush blooms, because then the fluffy beans that begin to ripen will interfere. It is recommended to collect the plant in dry weather, before noon. Ivan grass roots, which are also useful for harvesting raw materials, will have to be dug out in the fall.
How to collect Ivan tea
Fireweed grows only in open spaces. Flowers of willowherb have a bright pink hue and are collected in brushes. When harvesting, either the leaves, or the top, or the whole plant are removed. In the latter case, the stem is cut 15 cm from the ground. It is important to learn how to identify Ivanova grass, so as not to be confused with other plants of the same family that are not suitable for consumption. Forest fireweed and hairy fireweed do not have healing properties. They have a purple color of flowers, and the height of plants is no more than 15 cm.
How to dry Ivan tea at home
Having finished with the routine collection, you can proceed to the next steps. Harvesting fireweed for the winter is not an easy task, but feasible. There are many instructions, drying options, so it will be difficult to make a mistake. If you do not know how to prepare Ivan tea at home, then you can use "helpers" such as an oven or an electric dryer. Harvesting willow-tea includes several stages, described below.
Drying preparation
All parts of fireweed are used for harvesting, including leaves, the top of the plant, roots and shoots. It is better to collect Ivanov grass in "clean" places, but before the drying process, it is better to wash the collected raw materials in running water. After that, it's time to wilt. On the plain paper or fabric is laid out with a layer of leaves, which should be stirred regularly. After withering, willow grass leaves need to be twisted. In the next step, they are crushed. This can be done in a meat grinder or with a knife.
Fermentation
Many do not know how to prepare Ivan tea correctly, they skip fermentation, and this is an obligatory process that determines the quality of brewing. For air oxidation, the container with green mass is left overnight. The process of fermentation is similar to fermentation. At the end, the subtlest aroma of the tea leaf will appear. To complete the process of preparing fermented raw materials, place fireweed in a pan and keep at a temperature of 100 degrees for about an hour until it takes the form of granules.
Types of drying
The last part of raw material processing is drying. There are several ways to properly dry fireweed leaves:
- Normal oven drying. The fermented leaves are placed on a baking sheet on top of the parchment. During drying, it is recommended not to close the oven door tightly. Leaves should be kept at a temperature of 95 to 110 degrees for an hour.
- Russian oven. The heated oven should stand for at least an hour, after which you can lay out the herbal mass on a baking sheet, which is then placed on the coals.
- Electric dryer. The device is turned on at a temperature of about 90 degrees, the leaves are dried for at least 5 hours. It is important not to overdo it, because then the tea drink will have a taste of paper.
How to store Ivan tea
After drying after fermentation, medicinal raw materials can be stored for two years or more, subject to certain conditions. Ivan tea should be inside an airtight container, preferably glass. Before brewing fireweed, the tea leaves are allowed to lie down for at least a month. It is believed that fireweed tea becomes tastier and more aromatic the longer it is stored.
cooking secrets
Fireweed is brewed correctly like this: 3 tsp. for 150 ml of boiling water, leave for a few minutes, then pour another 300 ml into the kettle hot water. The amount of water during brewing and tea raw materials can be changed depending on the desired degree of strength. Fireweed tea can be poured with boiling water again up to 5 times. You can make yourself a drink without boiling water. For this, 1 tbsp. l. tea mass should be poured with a liter of water and left overnight. In the morning you will receive a healing drink. You can dilute fermented fireweed leaves with flowers dried in the usual way.
Indications for use
- poisoning and intestinal dysfunction;
- violations in nervous system(neurosis, alcoholic psychosis, hysteria, depression);
- epilepsy;
- rehabilitation from alcohol addiction, for the relief of a hangover syndrome;
- increased psycho-emotional pressure and chronic stress;
- overwork;
- the appearance of milk teeth, inflammation of the gums;
- problems with the menstrual cycle, uterine bleeding, menopause, premenstrual syndrome;
- chemotherapy and radiation exposure (during the recovery period);
- leukemia or lymphogranulomatosis as an adsorbent;
- immunodeficiency state;
- avitaminosis;
- prostatitis and prostate adenoma.
