Earl Grey is one of my favorite “guilty pleasure” teas. It has that bright bergamot citrus flavor that hooks me every time. This cake has the consistency of a pound cake and is great served with confectionary sugar, whipped cream or a vanilla glaze. Serve with a hot cup of White Heron Organic Ceylon tea or coffee :)

Prep Time 20 Minutes / Bake Time 45-50 minutes+

Makes 15-20 Pieces

375 Degrees F

INGREDIENTS

•1 cup milk

•2-4 Tbsp Earl Grey black tea (loose or tea bags)

•4 eggs

•1 tsp vanilla extract

•3 cups All-Purpose flour

•1 tsp Baking Powder

•¼ tsp Salt

•¾ cup Butter, cut into cubes (1 ½ sticks)

•1 cup Sugar

•½ cup Honey

•2 Cups Peaches, peeled, chopped

•Small mesh strainer

•Bundt pan

•Pan spray or canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Liberally grease bundt pan with pan spray.

2.Heat milk to just under a boil in a small saucepan and add Earl Grey tea. I like a strong Earl Grey flavor in this cake, so I used 4 tablespoons of loose tea to infuse in the milk. If you want a more subtle Earl Grey flavor, use 2 tablespoons loose tea or 2 tea bags.Take pan off the burner and let Earl Grey infuse for 5-10 minutes. Then pour through mesh strainer into a small bowl and let cool until room temperature.

3.In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, and vanilla until blended. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4.In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and honey until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

5.Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beating after each addition until just incorporated. Fold peaches into mixed cake batter, be careful not to overmix.

6.Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50+ minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

7.Gently tap the cake pan on the counter top and invert on to a wire rack. Turn cake right side up. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

White Heron's Organic Lemon Berry herbal tea is chock full of elderberries, cranberries, hibiscus, lemon peel and raisin pieces. It's a tasty blend with several ingredients reported to have immune-boosting properties + lots of Vitamin C!

Every fall, my herbalist Mom makes "elderberry syrup" for our family, to help during cold and flu season. While her syrup has a slightly different flavor than in the recipe here, elderberries are the primary ingredient, as is the case with our Lemon Berry tea blend. This recipe is easy to make and will hopefully give you comfort through the season ahead!

Take it by the spoonful or drizzle over pancakes, waffles or ice cream :)

Lemon Berry "Immune Booster" Syrup

(Makes 1 Pint)

1 Quart Saucepan (or larger, non-reactive is best)

Mesh Strainer

4 Cups Water

2/3 Cups Organic Lemon Berry Herbal Tea blend

2 Tablespoons Ginger, fresh - washed and sliced thin

1 Tablespoon Rosehips, Dried (optional)

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1/2 - 1 Cup Raw Honey or Maple Syrup

>Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add Lemon Berry, fresh ginger, and rosehips to the pan, then turn down to a simmer. Do not add honey or sweetener yet. Continue simmering for 1 hour, or until reduced to about a cup of syrup.

>Cool syrup until warm but not hot, then pour through mesh strainer into a pint jar.

>Stir in 1/2 - 1 cup of honey or maple syrup depending on your taste. Cover and store for up to 2 weeks refrigerated.

Tips: 

>Add sweetener while syrup is still warm, so it will stir in easily

>The viscosity of your syrup will depend on how much water evaporates, type of sweetener and how much you use

>Honey will give you a thicker syrup than maple syrup

>Some folks like to add cinnamon or star anise to their elderberry syrup, experiment, have fun!

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While the ingredients above are fairly common, if you are pregnant or have health concerns, please check with your doctor to see what is best for you :)

Camp Chai: DIY Chai from Everyday Stuff!

A few years back, my wife and I were up at my family camp near Blue Hill, Maine. It was a cool, rainy Sunday and I really craved a warm spicy mug of Chai. The problem was that I didn’t bring anything to specifically make Chai. I had some Earl Grey loose tea with me, but that was about it. Being a good New Englander, I thought it could be worth a bit of cupboard rummaging to see if there was anything at all to make Chai from.

Our camp cupboards were pretty bare, but I did manage to find a box of black tea bags, ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger (presumably left behind from some baking). There was of course black pepper, a bit of sugar, some maple syrup and a quart of milk in the fridge. I found a small sauce pan in the drawer beneath the stove and proceeded as per the recipe below. The resulting Chai turned out better than expected.

Normally when I make chai, I use loose tea leaves and whole spices, with my favorite teapot pre-warmed. I was happy to find that with just a few ingredients, I was able to make something pretty darn close to that warm spicy mug of chai that I am used to making when I have everything at my disposal.

Makes (2) 16 oz Mugs of Chai

Assemble:

1 Quart (or larger) saucepan

1 Pint Water

3-4 White Heron Classic Black Tea Bags

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon, ground

1 Teaspoon Ginger, ground

1 Pinch Cloves, ground

1 Pinch Black Pepper, ground

2 Tablespoons Sugar, Honey or Maple Syrup

1 Pint Milk (Soy or Almond Milk etc work fine)

Good to Have (but if you don’t, you can still make this :)

•Small Whisk (if not use a fork)

•Tea Strainer (mesh tea balls wont work for this)

•Tea pot (pre-warmed with some hot water)

Pour 1 pint of water into the saucepan and heat to a boil. Add the ground spices and sugar or sweetener and whisk for 30 seconds. Add black tea bags and simmer for 5-6 minutes. The longer the tea and spices simmer together, the stronger the flavor. Finally, add 1 pint of milk and give a quick stir. Simmer until the surface of the Chai develops a creamy head. Shut the heat off

If you have a teapot handy, empty out any water, place a tea strainer in the pot, and carefully pour Chai through the strainer into the pre-heated pot. Remove the strainer and replace the teapot lid then pour into warm cups or mugs.

If you don’t have a teapot or strainer, no big deal, just give a final stir to your chai, then carefully pour into heated cups or mugs while trying to keep the tea bags in the pan. Enjoy!

Tips:

•Be careful not to boil Chai once the milk is added, just simmer

•Get creative, add a teaspoon of cocoa powder or a drop of vanilla if you have them handy

•Add more cinnamon, ginger or black pepper if you like your Chai extra spicy

Making Quick Iced Tea with White Heron Tea Bags

As year-round iced tea lovers, many people are looking for a quick and easy way to make their iced tea. Below are recommendations for making either a quick travel mug or a half gallon of iced tea with White Heron tea bags. Here is a quick list of what you need.........

• Your favorite travel mug or 1/2 Gal Ball Jar / Heat Resistant Pitcher
• White Heron Tea Bags
• Boiling water (brewing)
• Cold water (topping up)
• Ice

Iced Tea on the Go

For the average 16-18 oz travel mug, add (1) White Heron tea bag to the cup and pour 2 inches of boiling water over the bag to "jump-start" brewing. Let it brew for 3 minutes, then fill your cup 3/4 with ice, the rest with water. Give a quick stir, put the lid on and go!

1/2 Gallon Iced Tea

Add (4) White Heron tea bags to a half gallon Ball Jar or heat-resistant pitcher. Pour 2-3 inches of boiling water over the bags and let brew 3 minutes. Fill jar/pitcher half with ice, then top up with water and stir.

Tips:

• We like to leave the tea bag(s) in the brewing container. Our teabags will continue to release flavor even after iced down.

• Whether brewing in a travel cup or 1/2 gallon container, you can hot brew an extra minute for more strength before icing down or just add an extra tea bag.

• If using more than one tea bag, feel free to use different flavors. The following teas mix and match rather well...Classic Black, Earl Grey, Daily Cup Green, Jasmine Green, Peppermint 

• Add a sprig of mint or slice of lemon if you wish

You can find out tasty tea bags here : http://www.whiteherontea.com/tea/organic-tea-bags/

Equipment Needed:

• 1 Qt Saucepan
• Loose Chai, Sugar (or Honey, Maple syrup, Stevia)
• Milk, Soy or Almond Milk
• Small Fine Mesh Strainer that will fit in a cup or teapot
• Teapot or Cups to Strain Chai into

1. Add 1 pint water to saucepan.
2. Heat on stove until water comes to a boil.
3. Add 2 Tbsp loose Chai + 2 Tbsp sugar (or honey/maple)
4. Simmer Chai and sweetener in water for 5 mins
5. Add 1 pint Milk, Soy Milk or Almond milk or just enough to leave 1 inch space below the lip of the pan
6. Simmer milky Chai, stirring occasionally until the surface of the Chai has a creamy appearance.
7. Be careful not to let come to a boil or to scald milk
8. Place strainer over cup or teapot and pour Chai through strainer.

Amount of sweetener can be adjusted to your taste

For a video demo of the above recipe, please visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4qmIxodvlc

(or Google White Heron Chai + Youtube)

• a USDA approved Organic seal
• “Certified by” name of USDA approved Organic certifying agency