Rose Petal Tea
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It was one of these Victorian dressed ladies that informed me that in earlier times the rose garden was the only place a lady was permitted to socialize unescorted.
With this in mind it seems obvious that afternoon tea and gossip would develop together.
There is research to indicate that tea made with rose petals has serious medicinal value.
An Israeli research team tested twelve rose cultivars with hot water infusion of their air dried petals. Not only did they find that different, "teas from different rose cultivars significantly differed in their sensory properties," but they concluded that, "rose petals may be used for preparing antioxidant-rich, caffeine free beverages."
In herbal medicine terms, rose petals that are left to dry and then crushed to be used in a tea (infused) may soothe soar throats, open blocked bronchial tubes, help reduce fevers and act as a digestive tonic. I have no proof of these claims except from the people who claim to have noticed them, but I do know that a cup of rose petal tea is very soothing.
I know of three simple recipes:
Sugar Tea
Mix 1/2 cup of dried rose petals with 3 cups of water and boil together, in a non aluminum pan, for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid into a cup and add a small amount of honey or sugared rose water to taste. During boiling the petals will start to discolor and that is a good sign the "infusion" is ready.
Spiced Tea
Mix 1/2 a cup of dried rose petals with 1/4 teaspoonful of nutmeg and a teaspoonful of sugar. Add this to a quart of boiling water with the chopped peel of an orange or lime. Boil for 5 minutes and let steep. Strain and serve.
Dry Tea Mix
Mix together 1 cup of your favorite loose tea and 2 cups of dried rose petals. Put them into a blender and finely chop. Store in an airtight jar until you need to make your tea. Do this as you normally would making sure the water is very hot and the mixture is left to steep for a few minutes. Use a tea strainer to strain the mixture before drinking.
Actually, I quite fancy a nice cup of tea about now!
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