Foraging Linden Flowers

Lovely Linden Foraging Linden flowers in the middle of the summer is easy. As you are walking in your local park or your neighborhood simple follow your nose to the sweetest smelling tree around. When I know the Linden is blooming I put a large cotton sheet and scissors in the car and head out to the gathering location. Since the flowers are dangling from the trees and it is hard to hold the both the gathering basket and the scissors, I just lay a sheet out on the ground below the flowers dangling down amongst the leaves and snip away. I dry the Linden flowers in wicker baskets that I set on a wooden clothes drying rack. The flowers dry relatively quickly (3-5 days) and shrink in size. To make a tea only a pinch ( about 1 tsp.) is needed per cup because they do expand once that are re-hydrated. To make a rejuvenating nerve tonic tea I blend linden flowers with equal parts of rosemary leaves and lavender flowers. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the tea blend and steep for 20 minutes. I like this tea when I feel fatigue due to excess thinking, worry, or overwork. It helps to create calm focused sustained action. Linden flowers on their own makes a soothing evening tea to help you drift into a peaceful night's sleep and also encourages sweet dreams. I add a touch of agave sweetener to mine for a perfect way to end my day. One of my favorite tea blends that I call Relaxing tea contains organic rose petals gathered from my meditation rose garden, organic lemon balm from my gardens, and the wild linden flowers that I gather. Coming soon: Gathering Elderberries, Rose hips, and Fall Seed saving.