Philosopher's Tea

Hops!
Humulus lupulis
-
Not an ingredient I use often in blends. Mostly reserved for personal use, as harvests tend to be sporadic, and the flavor is quite strong. This member of the Cannabis family is the most effective sedative herb I've grown, hands down. Even kicks chamomile off of its sleep-aid pedestal. Steep 5-6 cones in hot water for 10min, and you'll have some of the best sleep of your life. Hops is incredibly bitter, usually accompanied by citrus & pine notes. These flavors are even more concentrated with a bit of mindful harvesting. Glands at the top of the cone produce lupuline, a yellow pollen-like substance containing concentrated oils & other compounds found throughout the plant. (See second slide)

For a rapidly growing vine, I find it to be tame. Aside from the occasional trimming to improve airflow or adjusting stray tendrils, it stays well behaved. The first slide features a healthy specimen at my childhood home in Southeastern VA. I planted this hops as a Father's Day gift back in 2015. Our mild winters on the coast have never killed it all the way back. Always returning in the spring to climb whatever supports it can find along the fence. She flowers well & large, usually with a flush in the early summer, then fall. Without the height one would normally see hops using in a cultivated setting, it tumbles on top of itself while spilling over & through the cracks of the fence. Winter cleanup never takes more than half an hour as all the plant requires is the dead material to be removed and tossed with the yard waste.

If you've got the climate for it, try hops in your garden. They provide lots of asthetic & practical benefits in the yard. Hops even hosts native butterfly & moth species in VA

Farmers Market Week!

I'll be back at Constitution Park in Waynesboro on Saturday with all of your favorite local businesses. Plenty of cold tea to-go & loose leaf to stock up on

Pictured: the big batch of ducklings with momma relaxing on the steps to the workshed at Wild Altar Farmstead

TEA ON SALE
link in bio

Summer rainstorms have affected a lot of outdoor events this season. Here's a lil discount to help encourage your home tea drinking habit. A solid selection of black teas like Ceylon, Kenyan, Breakfast Blends, and others to choose from. Stock up with 15% off premium loose-leaf organic tea. Sale ends this Friday at midnight

More NEW (second-hand) teaware
-
Gift baskets & shelves of much loved pieces, looking to live a new life

Come see the wares each Thursday at the Sunset Market at IX Art Park

and every Saturday at the Farmers Market at Constitution Park in Waynesboro

More rain in the forecast for the market this weekend. Hurry to the Waynesboro Farmers Market on Saturday from 9 - 1
to buy some tea before it gets wet
-
Did a quick wild bouquet for the first time in a while. Real happy with how it turned out. My usual method for making arrangements involves guessing the right length/height of the individual pieces on the first cut. I'll strip whatever leaves/flowers are on the lower ends of the stem but usually won't cut them any shorter. First instinct always feels right & often leads to intriguing shapes & forms in the vessel.

This was made up of introduced plants including baby rose, bittersweet, orchard grass, and a single silver fern leaf all placed in an antique earthenware pot

Baby Rose Black Tea
Tomorrow at the Waynesboro Farmers Market
-
Weather might be a bit cloudy so I'm brewing a batch of sunshine infused cold tea

Multiflora rose are only in bloom for a short time. They are best utilized fresh as drying really diminishes their intense fragrance

One aspect of floral foraging that often gets overlooked is the optimal time to pick the blooms. While a flower may be fully open, you might find that its aroma isn't as pungent as others on the same plant.
This can be a result of the flowers having already been pollinated. Or they are simply a short lived bloom that lasts for only a day
Once anthers containing pollen are agitated by a passing pollinator, the flower has completed its role in the reproduction process, signalling that there is no longer any need to attract additional pollinators.

The flower will then shed its petals and the o***y will swell to become a fruit containing the plant's next generation of seeds

Dropped a weird flowery mix on Spotify, perfect for some gardening or a good plant walk. Short, sweet, and begging for your attention. Just like our native spring wildflowers

Botanically inspired playlists for your weekend Earth Day celebrations. Send a DM for a direct link or click the link in the "Spotify" story highlights.
-

Yellow violets are uncommon in Virginia wilds. It's always a nice treat seeing the round-leaf yellow violet as one of the first pops of color on mountain trails in early spring.

Most people are familiar with the common blue violet present in lawns & disturbed areas. Those are an introduced species from the Eurasian continent & don't represent the true beauty of North American violets, which tend to be smaller, delicate, and picky about their growing conditions.

It's been a great season for ephemeral violets, and I've even come across a few unfamiliar species on my walks this year.

Pictures:
slide 2 - round-leaf yellow violet
(Viola rotundifolia)
Mt. Pleasant, Amherst VA

slide 3 - bog white violet
(Viola lanceolata)
George Washington National Forest

slide 4 - arrowleaf violet
(Viola sagittata)
George Washington National Forest

BIG NEWS TEA FANS:
I'm back in the mountains after a stay on the coast. Get ready for new collabs, teaware, and loose leaf to quench your thirsty souls. Should be back at markets later this Spring
-
Pictured: yellow tea leaves

Yellow tea is an uncommon tea type out of China. Its process is similar to that of making green tea, though there is an added step known as 'menhuang' or 'sweltering' where the leaves are wrapped in paper to undergo a light fermentation before fully drying. This removes the grassy notes typical of green tea, allowing for a much sweeter infusion.

sticks & fluff
-
I've been b u s y

Yesterday was one of the most physically intensive tea making procedures I've worked on. A dream of two aromatic powerhouses native to Virginia coming together.

Spicebush twigs, bark, and a few woody sticks pounded with rabbit to***co. An airy & intensely fragrant blend for longevity.

Rabbit To***co (also called Sweet Everlasting) is a relatively common biennial herb that can be found in pasture, fields, and disturbed areas with drier soils. They bloom in late summer and once dried, deliver a smell very similar to maple syrup. This plant has been used by Indigenous people for its immune-boosting properties & as an adaptogen to maintain general wellness. An incredible addition to herbal smoking blends.
Fellow farmers & growers have shared experiences about how this plant is very bad at staying in one place. Where one season, it will fill a whole woodland opening, and the next time, it's nowhere to be found

Spicebush has had an undeniable influence on my relationship with wild tea alternatives. Ever present and always giving. All parts of the plant deliver unique flavors & can be utilized year-round.
I had found a recently deceased spicebush on a local mountain that was crushed by the weight of last year's snow & ice. I dragged the broken branches back to the house & gave them a full year to dry before processing. The woodier parts of the shrub benefit from toasting to accentuate their flavors, though they can also be used fresh with similar results.

This is a full circle blend. I have spent the last 9 months in my hometown on VA's southeast coast. Reworking on countless projects and personal connections within this coastal swamp community.

Soon, I will be back living in Appalachia, this time, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. Focused on making wholesome tea blends, offering meditations, and tending the land. Over the last 5 years, every move I've made into new housing has felt chaotic & unpredictable. This is the first time I truly feel in control of my choice.
I look forward to seeing familiar & new faces on this next venture.
Cheers, y'all

Tonight

T&M
6 - 7pm

Tea Service
7:15 - 8:30pm

Bring your own cup