When to harvest fireweed for tea

Greens and herbs

Before you start harvesting fireweed, you need to know the best time to harvest it for tea, as well as how to properly harvest the herbs and when.

Harvesting times in different regions of Russia

Few people know when to harvest the leaves for this healthy drink, but those living in southern Russia, central Russia, and the Moscow region may notice that the plant's flowering period typically begins in late June and continues for another month. The leaves are considered the most suitable for tea, but some prefer to harvest the flowers as well.

When to collect

Fireweed grows in sunny clearings, undergrowth, forest edges, clearings, fields, and drained marshes—all areas with plenty of light. Fireweed is a fairly tall plant, reaching up to 1.5 meters in height. If a herbalist encounters a low-growing specimen in a dark forest, they'll pass it by, as it lacks any beneficial components.

Almost all elements of fireweed—the stem, leaves, and flowers—are medicinal. The leaves and buds of fireweed are harvested during flowering, usually in June and July (in the Leningrad region, this period shifts slightly to early August). After the flowers fade, a fuzz will appear, which has no medicinal value, so it's best not to delay harvesting the leaves for tea.

Note!

The most suitable weather for harvesting medicinal plants is dry and clear. Many herbalists prepare tea leaves based on the lunar calendar dates and regions, believing this to be the most accurate forecast.

It's recommended to choose a habitat away from industrial facilities and traffic areas. Although biologists claim that fireweed doesn't absorb toxic substances, leaves near roads accumulate a lot of dust, which is difficult to wash off.

The raw material should be harvested early in the morning, after the dew has dried. When preparing the raw material for medicinal purposes, the flowering tops, stems, and outer leaves are used. Harvesting individual leaves or flowers is equally beneficial.

The resulting blanks, after cutting, should be placed in the shade and then carefully transported to the drying area.

How to prepare

Fireweed leaves are carefully laid out in the attic, a ventilated room, or outdoors under a canopy. To preserve the tea's beneficial properties, line the tea with paper or cotton cloth, and spread the flowers and leaves in a thin layer.

Note!

To speed up the drying process, it is recommended to stir the raw materials. The location should be dark, as sunlight destroys chlorophyll and other beneficial elements of the plant.

An oven or stove can also be used for drying, but the temperature should not exceed 50°C. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the door open, otherwise the raw material will spoil.

If fireweed leaves are well-dried, they crumble easily. A sign that the stems are ready is a cracking sound when broken. Dried flowers have a pleasant honey scent and an attractive lilac hue.

The procedure for harvesting raw materials for tea

"Koporye tea," made from fireweed, was very popular in Rus' and beyond. Remarkably, the recipe for it has survived to this day.

The methods for preparing fireweed for tea differ from the methods for preparing it for medicinal purposes:

The leaf harvesting process involves gently grasping the top of the plant with one hand, while the fingers of the other hand, firmly clasped around the stem, move downwards. The collected material remains in the palm of the hand, while the remaining stem can continue to grow and produce new leaves.
The resulting material is placed in large bags and then transported to the processing site. Some believe the raw material also needs to be washed to prevent contamination. However, the beneficial bacteria that help preserve the healing elements are also lost with the water. To avoid additional procedures, it's best to harvest fireweed in an environmentally friendly location.

Fireweed leaves should be slightly air-dried, then placed in a plastic bag and crushed, like fresh cabbage, to release juice. Fireweed branches and leaves also begin to release liquid when the original cellular structure breaks down.
The next step is to roll the leaves into sausages. This is best done on a glass cutting board. The rolling process releases some of the juice.
The resulting sausages are placed in a pot or barrel made of a non-oxidizing material. The leaves are then pressed down with a weight and left in a warm place for about a day. The heat is necessary for the bacteria to interact with oxygen. This chemical reaction causes fermentation.

Experts recognize the end of the fermentation process by the smell. Initially, the leaves emit a characteristic herbal aroma, but as the fermentation process progresses, a fruity aroma with a slight tartness emerges.
The prepared sausages made from the plant's greens are cut into strips. The resulting raw material should be spread on a baking sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper. The baking sheets are placed in the oven and dried at 50°C with the door slightly ajar. Another way to dry fireweed is outdoors, but avoid direct sunlight.
To ensure that the future tea dries well, it must be stirred periodically.
When most of the leaves have dried, they are removed from the oven and left to dry in the air.

How to store

If Ivan tea is prepared for medicinal purposes, it is stored in paper bags or cotton sacks. Fermented fireweed is best stored in glass jars with screw-on lids.

Note!

The maximum shelf life of dried fireweed is 2 years. After that, the leaves lose all their beneficial properties and are completely devoid of any nutrients.

When to harvest Ivan Chai for making vitamin-rich, healthy tea depends on the region of the country. In the southern part of the country, this is June-July, while in Nizhny Novgorod and other northern regions, the harvest season extends until mid-August. These regions have a cooler climate, cold nights, and lower daytime temperatures than in central and southern Russia.