There was a time when tea didn't come in a box.
Growing up in rural South Trinidad, money was not always there for the little conveniences that we can easily pick up today. But somehow, there was always something growing around us that could be put to good use.
Our backyard was our tea shop.
I remember Ma putting a pot of water to heat on the fireside and sending us children outside to fetch the young shoots from the lime tree.
We knew exactly what she meant.
Not the old leaves.
The tender new shoots — the lime buds as we called them.
We would come back with our little handful, and by then the water would be hot and the tea would soon be brewing.
Simple.
No tea bags. No fancy packaging. And certainly, no trip to the supermarket.
Just a lime tree in the yard.
🍋 Lime Bud Tea
Lime bud tea is one of those childhood memories that has stayed with me.
The youngest shoots of the lime tree were picked fresh and steeped in hot water. It was something we grew up with, and because the tree was right there in the yard, it cost us nothing.
Looking back now, I realize that this was just one example of how resourceful Ma was.
Times could be tough, but she was always a provider.
She knew how to make things stretch. She knew what could be grown, what could be saved, what could be reused and, most importantly, how to make use of what we had.
🧡 A Little Turmeric From the Garden
Photo: Shamela Rambadan
Turmeric was another one of those plants that had its place in the household.
I remember turmeric being used when we got cuts and bruises, and fresh turmeric could also become a tea.
Today, turmeric tea has become quite fashionable. You can find beautifully packaged versions of it in stores, but long before "turmeric tea" became trendy, people were growing turmeric in their gardens and using it in their kitchens.
For us, it wasn't a trend.
It was simply what Ma knew to do.
🍊 Don't Throw Away the Peel!
And then there was citrus peel.
I have to laugh at this one because I still have a jar of dried citrus peel in my cupboard.
Imagine that!
As I opened the jar, the scent of the dried orange peel took me right back to the kitchen with Ma.
It reminded me of the times we made "Toolum" — that delicious little coconut snack made with molasses. The dried orange peel was an essential part of making Toolum; it gave it that distinctive flavour that I can still remember.
Funny how a smell can do that. One moment you're standing in your kitchen, and the next, you're right back in your childhood.
All these years later, I am still doing something that makes perfect sense when you grow up watching someone like Ma.
Why throw something away if it can still be useful?
Orange and other citrus peels could be dried and saved for tea. Traditionally, citrus peel tea was used when someone was feeling gassy or uncomfortable.
It was another little example of making use of what was available.
The fruit was eaten.
The peel was saved.
And the garden — once again — provided something for the household.
🌿 Lemongrass and Ginger
Then there is lemongrass.
If you've ever grown lemongrass, you know that once it gets comfortable in the garden, it tends to stay for a while!
A few stalks pounded and added to hot water makes a wonderfully fragrant tea, and adding ginger makes an old favourite even better.
Lemongrass and ginger.
Two plants that can easily find a place in a home garden and, with a little hot water, become a comforting cup of tea.
No complicated recipe.
Just plants from the garden and knowledge passed down through generations.
What Ma Taught Me Without Saying It
When I think about these teas now, I realize that the memories are about much more than what was in the cup.
They remind me of Ma.
She was incredibly resourceful.
When money was tight, she found ways to make ends meet. She didn't have the luxury of wasting things or buying something simply because it was convenient.
She provided.
And she taught us, mostly without sitting us down and giving us a lesson, that you use what you have.
You grow what you can.
You save what can be saved.
You don't waste what still has a purpose.
And when something isn't available, you look around and ask:
"What can I use instead?"
I think those lessons stayed with me.
Long before I knew words like sustainability or self-sufficiency, I was watching my mother practice them.
And perhaps that is one of the reasons gardening feels so natural to me today.
From the Garden to the Cup
Today we can walk into a supermarket and choose from shelves filled with teas from all over the world.
But there is something special about walking into your own garden, picking a few leaves, shoots or stalks and making a cup of tea from something you grew yourself.
Because sometimes the garden gives us more than food.
It gives us memories.
For me, those memories include children being sent outside to fetch lime buds while Ma put the pot on the fireside.
They include turmeric from the garden.
Dried citrus peel saved in a jar.
Lemongrass and ginger steeping in hot water.
And a mother who, no matter how difficult things became, somehow found a way to provide.
A Garden Thought
“Before tea came in a packet, some of us knew where to find it growing.”
Maybe that's what I love most about gardening.
It isn't only about what we grow today.
Sometimes, what we grow connects us to where we came from.
And every now and then, a simple cup of tea can take us right back there.
Back to the garden.
Back to the kitchen.
Back to Ma.
Do you remember a tea that came straight from your garden or backyard? Maybe your mother, grandmother or someone else in your family had a favourite bush tea. Tell me what you grew up drinking — and who grew it!
Until next time, keep growing!
Grey hair, green thumb and proud of my roots.
thegreyhairedgardener.blogspot.com
