Today we talk about linden and how delightful the herbal tea made with its dried flowers is. Reading here and there, I discovered that linden has countless phytotherapeutic properties beneficial for our body. We can find the dried flowers in herbal shops or we can pick and dry them ourselves if we have the chance. Linden flower herbal tea can be sipped to combat cold and early winter ailments. It is a remedy as an antipyretic, for sore throat, cough, insomnia, and so on. Linden flowers have a very intense and pleasant scent; this characteristic makes sipping the tea enjoyable even without sweeteners.
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 1 cup
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried linden flowers
- 1 cup water
Preparation
Preparing a linden flower herbal tea is really easy.
Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the level tablespoon of dried linden flowers at the bottom of the cup. Pour the boiling water over, cover to ensure the volatile substances do not disperse, and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. We can drink it plain or with a little sugar or honey. Linden flowers are so fragrant that this delicious herbal tea can be enjoyed without adding any sweetener; in a sense, it’s as if the very intense aroma makes the drink “sweeter” even to the palate.
If we are lucky enough to be able to pick fresh linden flowers (around the end of June to almost all of July), we can dry them ourselves. After collecting them, remove any impurities. On a kitchen cloth (without detergent odors), spread and space out the linden flowers well and let them dry in the air, but keep them in the shade. It will take about three or four days (depending on temperature and humidity) for the linden flowers to dry completely and evenly. During this time, turn the flowers occasionally; it is likely that any insects present on the flowers at the time of picking will also come out. Once the linden flowers are dry, transfer them to paper bags or very clean and dry glass jars where they can be perfectly stored.
