Red Raspberry Leaves- favor?

If anyone out there grew Red Raspberries (pesticide free), could I pretty please have the leaves off of the plant?
I've run across a yummy tea that I'd love to have on hand, but no source for the leaves.

As many as you are willing to part with, and I'm more than willing to pay shipping for them!

Please let me know- thanks!

Trish

http://davesgarden.com/t/279653/

Are these what you are looking for Trish? If so, if the leaves are still on the vines, you are welcome to them!

Trish I have drank raspberry tea forever-my parents gave it to me for breaking a fever and its also a good help with nausea.
All our leaves are gone already. =[
Maybe you need plants?

Trish,after you get your raspberry leaves you might want to get blackberry leaves too. They make nice tea also.

You have mail!!

Thanks everyone!

Dori- you are right, I do need plants :) Probably around spring, I'll look into getting some.

Mel, thanks for the tip!

Trish

Trish, if you still need leaves, let me know quick! I have a lot of plants that will probably start to turn yellow in a couple of days. Got to harvest the leaves tomorrow (I wanted to wait until all the berries were ripe). If you want plants in the spring, let me know; I will have a lot extras. They are all ever-bearing kind, and 6 different varieties. Two are red, two are purple, one is gold (my favorite), one is black. All delicious. And yes, I do harvest the leaves for tea every year. Completely pesticide-free.

How do you make the tea? Do you mix the leaves with regular tea or just make tea with the raspberry leaves?
Doris

You can either make straight herbal tea or mix with regular (loose) tea. I usually make herbal tea blends. I dry a lot of different herbs and make whatever kind a visitor prefers. My most requested are lemon balm, bee balm, hyssop, raspberry and rose hip. I use 1 tablespoon of dried herbs for a cup of tea.

That sounds good! I have some wild black raspberries I've been trying to kill for years. Would those leaves be safe to use? (probably dead now, but in the spring?)

We just put the leaves in a pan in water and steep over medium heat! use the strainer and pour in a cup add some honey and milk and yummmy!!!
***Trish-we have a ton of plants we want to move next spring-just let me know how many you want!
i have red and black!

Doris, the *best* time to harvest leaves is when the fruit is ripening, according to experts. That is when I harvest mine. Usually the flavinoids (sp) are most concentrated in leaves as herbs bud and flower.

Stripping leaves from canes doesn't kill them immediately, but probably would as a long-term process; it would prevent roots from getting enough nutrients to maintain plant health and growth. It would probably have to be done weekly for the entire growing season to seriously damage the plants.

Trish, you will have mail! Got them to the Post Office today; about 2 quarts (dried). Enjoy your tea. BTW, you will be sharing your recipe, won't you?

I love berry leaf tea. I have bought the leaves in health food stores. Next year I will plant some plants so I can also have the berries without paying those terrible grocery store prices for them. Enjoy your tea, Trish. :) Lani

I learned something new today! I had no idea you could make tea from raspberry leaves. Thanks

Pond, Joan, anyone else, I will have extra raspberry plants next spring, if you want some ever-bearing kinds, just ask :)

Mine are all virus-free (so far :) and I have 6 different varieties. All yummy fruit, and excellent for tea.

Kathy, please keep me in mind if you have some suckers come up that you don't need. Tea from raspberry leaves...still a new revelation for me. LOL! And a good one at that! Maybe I'd have better luck with raspberries than I've had with the various mints. I've tried for two years to get mint to grow, and it just won't! I'm going to keep trying though, and someday maybe I'll get some to take and I'll have the invasive problem that everyone else does. :)

Lupinelover, I would love to have some of your plants come spring. I prefer the ones that come back each year from the ground so all I have to do in the fall is mow the whole row instead of having to prune out the old stalks. LOL Lazy I suppose. Lani

Lupine, I also would love a few suckers in the spring if you have extra. That would be freat! Doris

Make sure y'all write to me in March or April; I have about 30 spare canes every spring :) They might not bear well the first autumn, but after that they should provide a lot of fruit.

And, Pond, these are ever-bearing, so they will fit your needs well. New canes come up in the spring and bear that fall. If you over-winter them, they bear fruit the following summer, but that is strictly optional (and, for me, the best part of ever-bearing). I have fresh raspberries from late June through mid-November, with a couple week gap in August. Oh well, can't have everything.

Trish,

Someone asked way back up there how you make this tea. Please give the recipe!!!!
I was recommended to drink this to help strengthen the uterous for an easier delivery. I can buy the herbal tea (making SURE it has raspberry leaves IN the ingredients) but would love to try your recipe too!

Thanks.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner :)

Here's the recipe that I use. I use the alfalfa for extra vitamins and minerals (I use this when I'm not pregnant), and the nettle is for circulation- prevents swelling and such (plus has lots of other vits and mins that can't hurt).

* 8 parts Red Raspberry leaf - cut
* 3 parts Alfalfa herb - cut
* 2 parts Nettle leaf - cut

Adding peppermint (not spearmint) will aid digestion as well as favor, among other things. Sometimes I'd put a sprig of peppermint in, but usually I used other yummy mints which do nothing except improve flavor. A little honey can be added as well- although I got so used to the flavor and figured I didn't need extra sugar, that I left it out.

I usually drank this throughout my pregnancy- increasing the amount I drank until I reached about a liter or more per day.

I'll say this- the one pregancy that I was very faithful with it: I didn't notice an "easier" delivery- she was also my largest by far- but I know that my uterous got back into shape much faster, and there was no post labor pains. The pregancy that I wasn't as faithful with- slower recovery time, same amount of bleeding, but the most horrid after-birth pains I've ever experienced. By far. I'd never skip out on it again.

Trish,

THANK YOU!!!! Such a blessing you've passed this on.

Our raspberries are still loaded with very green leaves. They are also spreading like mad. I started this patch with one lone Heritage plant that was struggling where I had it. I must have made it very happy because there are dozens of them out there now. I also have a Red Darrow(?)which has yet to do any more than get larger and larger every year. Now I read that it is more for the south than midwest area.

I think I will go get some leaves and make some tea.

Have any of you made tea from tropical hibiscus flowers? I have done it with unwanted blooms at Powell Gardens where my job was often to deadhead the t. hibiscus to keep them blooming all summer. That tea was so sweet with no sweetener added. I loved it. I haven't tried it with the hardy hibiscus.

I'm thinking of picking some leaves and making tea also. Does it taste like raspberries? Somehow I can't imagine that it would.

If I go pick a bunch of leaves, can I dry them and use them all winter? Would it be best to just let them dry naturally or in a dehydrator?

I haven't actually grown the raspberries myself. I keep meaning to grow them.....but I keep moving :) (I've moved twice since this thread started!) I plan to plant some soon here, though....

With that in mind......I buy the herbs in bulk- they are dried. From everything that I've read, you get the same nutritional benefit dried as fresh, and you'd use the same amount of either in the brew.

No, the leaves don't taste like raspberries.

Leaflady- I have tried the hibiscus flowers. It does make a good tea, although from the research that I have on it, they don't have all that much nutritional "bang for the buck", so I don't make it often, but it is good.


Joan- yep- dry them and use them all winter. I buy in bulk and freeze what I don't use in a month or so- just so the herb stays very fresh. I guess you could try to dry them natually- wouldn't hurt- but I've just had better success all around with the dehydrator to keep things from rotting while drying. Of course, with the dehydrator, you do loose _some_ nutrition because you are actually cooking it- albeit at a very low temp. Give it a try :)

Trish

Thanks for the info Trish. I'm going to try it. :)

I think I'll pick some fresh and make a cup first, in case I don't like it.