Collect wild herbs for your own tea blend

Summer, that means for me as often as possible up on the mountain - whether a leisurely hike to one of the alpine pastures around Innsbruck or climb a peak. I always have a small cloth bag with me. On the way I not only like to snack on wild strawberries, cranberries and later on cranberries. Collecting wild herbs is just as much a part of it for me.

Some herbs grow excellently on balconies - or in your own garden: peppermint, for example, sage or lemon balm thrive magnificently and need little care. Rosemary, lavender or rose petals add a special touch and colour to your own tea blends.

Herbs from the wild are also a must for me. I usually collect them on the way back from my hikes and always in small quantities. Because others also want to enjoy the beautiful sight of lush herbs on pastures and meadows - not least the animals, the wild bees and deer, for example, or the goats and cows on the mountain pastures.

Only herbs that I know go into the cloth bag. Of course, I keep my hands off protected plants! And when I'm collecting, I don't trample through meadows and fields. For me, that's just part of it.

My favorites in terms of wild herbs every year again:

It can be found in meadows, pastures, along roadsides in the valley and in the high mountains, wonderful to look at - the yarrow. I love the smell of this plant. Already after picking the first blossoms, my hands smell like yarrow. It is an ancient medicinal plant, packed with essential oils, said to be antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and help with indigestion.

Also an ancient remedy and immediately recognizable by its cloak-like leaves: Lady's mantle grows in humus-rich soil and is, as the name suggests, a "woman's herb." It is said to help with menstrual cramps and menopausal symptoms. I find the flowers quite enchanting and like to put a bunch on the table.

Wild bees love it, the wild thyme! No wonder: The fine floral scent magically attracts you. Wild thyme is not only excellent for seasoning meat (lamb with wild thyme - a poem!). Its sweet scent is excellent in tea blends. It is also said to have a digestive and antiseptic effect, and to help with coughs and respiratory problems. In the winter, so to speak, a must in the herbal tea!

They should not be missing in any tea blend: dried strawberry, raspberry and blackberry leaves. I usually eat the berries on the spot! Because they simply taste best fresh from the bush! The leaves, however, go into the cloth bag, they give every tea a fine touch.

The young leaves and shoots are often used for wild herb salads. Freshly picked they give every salad a flowery touch, daisies can be placed decoratively on pasta and co. The dried flowers make a wonderful herbal tea blend. Daisies are also called Tausendschön - what an enchanting name for this delicate little plant.

Stinging nettles are a real jack-of-all-trades. However, you need sturdy gloves or rubber gloves to pick them, so that the fine stinging hairs don't get through. Otherwise it will be a painful collection!
The young leaves taste like spinach when steamed, are excellent in dumplings (blogger colleague Lea Hajner reveals how to make them here ) or can be used to fill strudels. Nettle tea develops a very special aroma. I like its rich green color and the scent, which reminds me of freshly cut grass. Nettle tea is said to help with inflammation of the urinary tract.

By the way, I dry the herbs quite classically. The ones with stems are tied into small bunches and hung upside down. Leaves and flowers I spread loosely on a piece of newspaper. It is important that the place is well ventilated and shady.
For storage, I use non-air-tight jars, tin cans and paper bags, depending on the quantity.
And when my supplies run low in the spring, I'm looking forward to the next side collections on my hikes!

On Blog.Innsbruck you can find numerous hiking tips for pleasure hikers and summit strikers. Who would like to participate in a herb h ike: herbalist Isabella Zauscher offers one in Mieming on September 2, 2021. More info on this at Innsbruck.info

All photos: © Susanne Gurschler