Here in the Northwest, though the rain was scarce I would have to say the sun was as well. The last three weeks or so of summer were just starting to settle in me, and then BAM! The rain and darkness appears to have set in for good.
During this time of year it's fun to just nest at home and make everything as cozy as possible. If you want to fill the house with wonderful, spicy aromas, you could burn a candle...or you could percolate some Chai. It takes a bit more time than pouring out a cup of chai concentrate. But it will fill your house with incredible smells, it will cost pennies and you will have a piping hot, spicy pot of Chai to sip from all day long.
We've got a recipe for iced Chai on the Chai page of our website. If you want it hot, don't let the pot cool off. If you can't finish the hot chai, keep it iced in the refrigerator for next time.
Happy Fall!
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
September 27, 2011
June 09, 2011
3 reasons why we should opt for bulk over convenience packaging
When life gets hectic, it’s just easier to reach for products that are packaged for convenience. Convenience foods are a huge driving force in the food industry, and it must be because many of us are relying on these foods in our day to day lives.
I have found, however, that with rare exceptions(Kraft Macaroni & Cheese unless you can put away a whole box!) choosing bulk over convenience is the better option, for these reasons.
1. Bulk products cost less than convenience products. Yes, this is a blatantly obvious statement. But how much more expensive is that easy-to-open, portion controlled pack of (insert food item here)? Single serving and convenience foods that cost approximately twice as much per serving as their bulk counterparts include oatmeal, tea, lunchmeat, tuna, milk, juice, etc. Is it worth the cost, especially if it’s for something you eat often?
2. Convenience products often contain more sugar, salt and other unhealthy ingredients. Going back to the oatmeal example, when you scoop out your own oats from that tub of oatmeal, you can control how much(if any) sugar, salt and other ingredients you put in it. My husband eats oatmeal with Japanese pickles and fish broth! That wouldn’t taste very good using the sugary instant stuff.
3. Less packaging is utilized with bulk products, meaning it costs less energy to produce and dispose of the packaging. You’ve got your bag or box, and then you have 6, 10,12 or more teeny tiny packaged items inside that package – raisins, juice boxes, nuts, chips, any snack food you can think of is offered in single serve packages. Even prunes come individually wrapped.
How do we gradually decrease our use of convenience packaging? I also have a ways to go in this area. I still pack juice boxes in my son’s lunch because I have yet to find a reusable bottle that doesn’t dribble or get moldy in crevices despite frequent washings. It helps to keep an assortment of measuring spoons, cups and reusable containers on hand. If you buy a large size of a product and then separate it into single-serving baggies, you're saving money on the food item but may be spending more on the plastic bags, and there is no reduction in waste.
One thing that has become more popular and appealing is the drink stick. It’s measured so that you can empty one stick into a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle of water.
I have found that the tea in those little sticks amounts to ½ teaspoon. In regards to other water enhancement drinks, 1 teaspoon seems to be an appropriate amount. I have found that if I use a whole stick of, say, Crystal Light in one bottle of water, it ends up being too sweet so I only use half a stick. At that point, why buy sticks at all? I’d rather have a bulk container than half-used sticks lying around. And we could save both money and the earth at the same time.
I have found, however, that with rare exceptions(Kraft Macaroni & Cheese unless you can put away a whole box!) choosing bulk over convenience is the better option, for these reasons.
1. Bulk products cost less than convenience products. Yes, this is a blatantly obvious statement. But how much more expensive is that easy-to-open, portion controlled pack of (insert food item here)? Single serving and convenience foods that cost approximately twice as much per serving as their bulk counterparts include oatmeal, tea, lunchmeat, tuna, milk, juice, etc. Is it worth the cost, especially if it’s for something you eat often?
2. Convenience products often contain more sugar, salt and other unhealthy ingredients. Going back to the oatmeal example, when you scoop out your own oats from that tub of oatmeal, you can control how much(if any) sugar, salt and other ingredients you put in it. My husband eats oatmeal with Japanese pickles and fish broth! That wouldn’t taste very good using the sugary instant stuff.
3. Less packaging is utilized with bulk products, meaning it costs less energy to produce and dispose of the packaging. You’ve got your bag or box, and then you have 6, 10,12 or more teeny tiny packaged items inside that package – raisins, juice boxes, nuts, chips, any snack food you can think of is offered in single serve packages. Even prunes come individually wrapped.
How do we gradually decrease our use of convenience packaging? I also have a ways to go in this area. I still pack juice boxes in my son’s lunch because I have yet to find a reusable bottle that doesn’t dribble or get moldy in crevices despite frequent washings. It helps to keep an assortment of measuring spoons, cups and reusable containers on hand. If you buy a large size of a product and then separate it into single-serving baggies, you're saving money on the food item but may be spending more on the plastic bags, and there is no reduction in waste.
One thing that has become more popular and appealing is the drink stick. It’s measured so that you can empty one stick into a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle of water.
I have found that the tea in those little sticks amounts to ½ teaspoon. In regards to other water enhancement drinks, 1 teaspoon seems to be an appropriate amount. I have found that if I use a whole stick of, say, Crystal Light in one bottle of water, it ends up being too sweet so I only use half a stick. At that point, why buy sticks at all? I’d rather have a bulk container than half-used sticks lying around. And we could save both money and the earth at the same time.
May 23, 2011
Great article on how to grow tea(Camellia Sinensis)
This year we have put a lot of work in to improve our garden and make it to where it's in a position to thrive. We've got chickens and bunnies providing lots of fertilizer and, being the diggers that they are, soil aeration. We've also got compost bins and worm farms working their magic to produce rich soil and worm tea.
I started to wonder if it was possible to grow tea here. Having worked in the tea business, we order most of our tea from Asia, where the climate is typically a bit hotter than in my region, the Pacific Northwest. I did a search, and found a great article on how to grow tea and where to get plants and seeds.
Tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis. According to Melinda, the author of this article, c. sinensis is best grown in climate zones 7 and 8. Fortunately for me I am in zone 7. She says if the lovely Camellia grows in your area, then so will camellia sinensis. Since it is a bit cold here, if I decide to grow tea I will most likely get a portable, plastic greenhouse just to be safe.
I started to wonder if it was possible to grow tea here. Having worked in the tea business, we order most of our tea from Asia, where the climate is typically a bit hotter than in my region, the Pacific Northwest. I did a search, and found a great article on how to grow tea and where to get plants and seeds.
Tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis. According to Melinda, the author of this article, c. sinensis is best grown in climate zones 7 and 8. Fortunately for me I am in zone 7. She says if the lovely Camellia grows in your area, then so will camellia sinensis. Since it is a bit cold here, if I decide to grow tea I will most likely get a portable, plastic greenhouse just to be safe.
(a Camellia flower)
As for processing the tea bush once it is ready, that is a bit more involved. But given the time it takes for camellia sinensis to mature(up to 3 years from seed to harvest), you'll have plenty of time to learn the intricacies of harvesting and processing.
Please read the article for all the details! http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=1053
November 14, 2010
The new ThreeTreeTea.com website is here!
Though our previous site was security encrypted through Yahoo!, it was difficult to tell because our site was built in frames; that is, no matter what web page you were on within our site, the search bar always showed the address of the first page because the frame around the site was always part of the home page. Now you can clearly see the https:// and the lock, so no more worries!
We've got great new products including our Matcha Set, which would make a nice gift for someone who likes matcha. We've also got our new line of floral teas, Hana-cha.
We hope you like the new site, and we hope that we've made it easy to navigate and find what you need. Enjoy the new site!
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