Tea

[Jim Uran]

It's about tea season for this family, lately we've been out picking wintergreen and labrador tea, two common plants here in northern minnesota. Labrador or swamp tea grows well in tamarack bogs, wintergreen grows great in white and red pine areas. Anyone else pick these? 

[bbfenatic]

Do either of them catch crappies? LOL Great to read your post....hope all is well...need to hit the old stomping grounds this ice season!  

 

And great timing on the subject of Tea...I've pretty much given up on coffee since I tend to load it up with flavored creamer so badly....so non-sweetened herbal Tea in diff flavors has become my new cold weather drink....save me some of that labrador and wintergreen.

[Jim Uran]

They get your mind in the right position to catch crappies man!!!! lol, yes I'll keep a sharper eye on the crappie game around here this year, it's year number 2 up here and I'm running out of excuses lol

[eyeguy 54]

find em and send that eyeguy a note...

 

[pikestabber]

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 1:30 PM, Jim Uran said:

It's about tea season for this family, lately we've been out picking wintergreen and labrador tea, two common plants here in northern minnesota. Labrador or swamp tea grows well in tamarack bogs, wintergreen grows great in white and red pine areas. Anyone else pick these? 

 

Do you have pictures of either you can post, Jim? Any "bad" look-alikes one should avoid? You got me curious!

[Jim Uran]

Hey thanks for asking, I have pics on my girl friend's phone. These two particular teas are easily identified with a simple google search... Ughhh that's not I like to roll though. Future posts will definitely have pics. 

 

With the wintergreen tea.. AKA checkerberry, teaberry, or wintergreen berry, it grows in old red pine and white pine areas. It grows the best in any area you find blueberry plants. It is a small evergreen plant that doesn't grow off the ground too high. It has thick dark green leaves, usually 4 or 5 petals to a plant, red berries maybe one or two to a plant. These berries are edible, no sickness involved and they were a prized food for the anishinaabe people. 

 

Swamp tea or Labrador tea doesn't have any look a likes either, the soft velvety under belly of the leaves is unmistakable when on the hunt for this tea IN it's element. This also is an evergreen. You'd be best searching around tamarack bogs, any high area in a tamarack bog holds the proper biome.

 

If you have any doubts, just plop a picture on this thread and we can compare notes. 

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Jim Uran said:

Hey thanks for asking, I have pics on my girl friend's phone. These two particular teas are easily identified with a simple google search... Ughhh that's not I like to roll though. Future posts will definitely have pics. 

 

With the wintergreen tea.. AKA checkerberry, teaberry, or wintergreen berry, it grows in old red pine and white pine areas. It grows the best in any area you find blueberry plants. It is a small evergreen plant that doesn't grow off the ground too high. It has thick dark green leaves, usually 4 or 5 petals to a plant, red berries maybe one or two to a plant. These berries are edible, no sickness involved and they were a prized food for the anishinaabe people. 

 

Swamp tea or Labrador tea doesn't have any look a likes either, the soft velvety under belly of the leaves is unmistakable when on the hunt for this tea IN it's element. This also is an evergreen. You'd be best searching around tamarack bogs, any high area in a tamarack bog holds the proper biome.

 

If you have any doubts, just plop a picture on this thread and we can compare notes. 

This Jim? 

Labrador Tea and wintergreen berry below.

Edited October 27, 2016 by leech~~

[Jim Uran]

Negative on the last pic, but the labrador is spot on. Here's a pic of wintergreen. 

[delcecchi]

Wintergreen is Un mistakable .   If all else fails, crumble a  leaf and smell it.  should be just like a wintergreen life saver.  also  taste like one.

 

What does Labrador tea taste like?

[Duffman]

12 minutes ago, delcecchi said:

What does Labrador tea taste like?

 

[delcecchi]

 

[RebelSS]

17 hours ago, Duffman said:

 

 

 

  

[delcecchi]

"Me like dog.  Dog good"..... Korean guy I worked with.

 

So nobody knows what tea from Labrador Tea tastes like?   

[Jim Uran]

It tastes like a green tea you buy at the store with a little earthiness! It might have a little citrus/pine note to it also!

[pikestabber]

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 7:51 PM, Jim Uran said:

Here's a pic of wintergreen. 

 

I know lots of places with old red pines & blueberry plants. Is now the time to look, and do they still hold berries this late? Do you just pluck the leaves and brew them? Can they be dehydrated for later use?

[Jim Uran]

They are an evergreen so you can pick them anytime of the year, the berries are still holding as until the birds or whatever get them. This tea/concoction is a little different in preparation, you can boil the heck out of the leaves but they will hardly give the tea a flavor. I use one of my canning jars and pack a bunch of leaves in it and fill it up with water, I'll screw on a lid with a coffee filter and let it set and "ferment" for a couple of days and take that liquid and heat it up and even dilute it a little with plain water.  

[delcecchi]

Just chew the leaves, like Redman.

[Jim Uran]

There is a compound related to aspirin in this plant, some folks say it can be dangerous, others have been drinking it for decades. 

I wonder if it has the same affect as coca leaves, lol. 

1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

Just chew the leaves, like Redman.

 

[delcecchi]

You mean I have been missing out by not chewing enough wintergreen leaves?   do they need some lime?

[Jim Uran]

I think rum is the key... lol

[delcecchi]

I have read that the folks in south america that chew coca leaves put a pinch of lime (the mineral) in with it for some reason.  Apparently the alkalinity affects the release of the good part of the leaves... 

[monstermoose78]

On 10/26/2016 at 8:51 PM, Jim Uran said:

Hey thanks for asking, I have pics on my girl friend's phone. These two particular teas are easily identified with a simple google search... Ughhh that's not I like to roll though. Future posts will definitely have pics. 

 

With the wintergreen tea.. AKA checkerberry, teaberry, or wintergreen berry, it grows in old red pine and white pine areas. It grows the best in any area you find blueberry plants. It is a small evergreen plant that doesn't grow off the ground too high. It has thick dark green leaves, usually 4 or 5 petals to a plant, red berries maybe one or two to a plant. These berries are edible, no sickness involved and they were a prized food for the anishinaabe people. 

 

Swamp tea or Labrador tea doesn't have any look a likes either, the soft velvety under belly of the leaves is unmistakable when on the hunt for this tea IN it's element. This also is an evergreen. You'd be best searching around tamarack bogs, any high area in a tamarack bog holds the proper biome.

 

If you have any doubts, just plop a picture on this thread and we can compare notes. 

Grouse love the berries as well