Grow Your Own Green Tea

Green tea is the most sought after tea for weight loss. Green tea and weight loss are often related, and not without a reason for sure. In today's world, where toning the body and losing weight happens to be the sole aim of every person, this wonder tea just serves the purpose aright! Green tea is a healthy drink, made from the oxidized leaves of Camellia sinensis plant. It first became famous in Asia (of course, it all started here with China, Japan and Korea) and now bears an undisputed popularity, all across the world for its various health benefits, it has to offer. There are many assorted varieties of green tea available in stores today, which make a healthy and complete morning and evening beverage for you. But there is another idea! You can grow a green tea plant at home. Sounds good, right!

How to Grow Your Own Green Tea?

Growing your own green tea plant is not as mettlesome and difficult as you think. And for people who are quite interested in gardening stuff, will be only too happy to have their own green tea plant at home. Before I start on how to grow your own tea, let me tell you, that patience is a key ingredient to grow this plant. The plant must be at least 3 years old, for the leaves to be used for making green tea.

• Get some green tea plant cuttings. Green tea plant cuttings are available in local greenhouse, from where you can buy them.
• Plant the cuttings in a sandy soil, which is slightly acidic in nature. Make sure you replenish the soil with organic seaweed fertilizer supplements.
• The soil should be further supplemented with mulch, composting and moisture, to keep the weeds and dryness away. If you are staying in a hot and dry climatic region, it is advised to water the plant regularly.
• In case, you are living in an apartment and are keen on growing green tea at home, then the plant can be potted. However, if the green tea plant is potted, make sure to add sphagnum moss for a healthy growth.

Making Green Tea:

• Once the leaves start showing green, pluck out the terminal tea leaves with a few buds.
• Dry the leaves for a few hours.
• Steam the leaves in a pan for about 15 minutes. Temperature of steaming should be 500 ºF. Keep sautéing the leaves in the pan to prevent them from getting burnt, or one can also cook the leaves as vegetables.
• Dry the leaves by putting them in oven for approximately 10 minutes. Temperature should be regulated around 225 ºF.
• Store the dried leaves in an air tight container in a cool dry place.
• To have a refreshing cup of green tea, all you have to do is brew the leaves and drink like any other tea.

Green tea can be flavored as well, during the preparation itself. During the steaming process, one can add slices of fruits like apple, lemon, pineapple, cantaloupe, etc., and enhance the green tea with a tangy taste! A very important thing to remember here is, if you have got seeds to grow the tea plant, then you might as well have to wait for more than 3 years to get a fresh plant for harvesting. Hence, it is advisable that you get the stem cuttings of this plant to grow your own tea!

There are many green tea benefits, which includes boosting metabolism, relieving stress, losing excess weight and reducing risks of cardiovascular and respiratory ailments. Due to its antioxidant properties, it is very much recommended as a morning and evening drink and with its varied fruit flavors, it definitely comes across as a tasty beverage. So, go plant a green tea plant in your home and reap good health benefits.