What is Red Tea? A Garden Update

First there was black tea, then green tea and white tea. The new rage is "red" tea, but what is it? Red tea is caffeine-free and has some of the same antioxidants as other teas, but, it's not really tea at all.

National wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil recently discussed red tea in a column at http://www.drweil.com/. Black, green and white teas all come from "Camelia sinensisis," "the tea plant," he says. They differ only in the processing, which determines the levels of caffeine and antioxidants. Red tea or Rooibos ("red bush") tea is a South African herbal infusion used for the treatment of hay fever, asthma and eczema and to soothe heartburn and stomach ulcers and relieve nausea. It has a fruity taste when brewed. Send us an email for a sample package.

To make it more complicated, Rooibos also comes green. It is the same plant, but a product of a different process. Anyway, stay tuned -- I'm sure there will be more about it. See: http://potlucktea.com/Infusions.htm#Rooibos for our current selection of Organic Rooibos.

I also wanted to provide an update on my rabbit. All was quiet in the garden this morning. The pumpkins and watermelon continue to grow; the peppers are hanging low; the tomatoes are slowly ripening, and the basil looks like it will go to seed soon. I've added a row of deer fencing behind the garden to keep the deer from eating the tops off the tomato plants. Bees are abundant. If there is a bee problem in the New York area, it has not yet reached our neck of the woods. Stay tuned.