Pick your own Wild Teas –Dream Big and Enjoy the Taste of the Alps in a Cup
Discovering the delicious local cuisine is a delighting part of any trek through the Alps, but did you know there is an astonishing amount of appetizing plants right next to the hiking trails!?! Wild plants can turn your hike into an exciting culinary adventure.
One of the easiest and tastiest ways to enjoy wild edibles is by brewing an herbal tea. At the end of the hiking day, when you get to your hotel or mountain hut, simply add the herbs you’ve picked to a cup of hot water and let it steep for a few minutes. The result? The wonderful taste of mountain nature in your cup! Enjoy! ?
My Favorite Wild Teas
Here is a short list of my favorite wild teas. These edible plants are very common and you can find them all over the Alps. (If you have any doubts about the plant that you are picking, don’t drink a tea from it!)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
This herb possesses the most wonderful aroma and taste. You can make a tea from meadowsweet flowers as well as leaves, but I like the flowers the best. Their fragrance and flavor are incredibly strong, so just add a few of tiny flowers to your cup.
TIP: For those hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc look for meadowsweet around Champex Lac, the most favorite foraging spot of some of our Alpenwild guides.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
I love the taste of stinging nettle leaves, but stinging nettle is not as full of fragrance and flavor as meadowsweet, so use loads of leaves for your cup of tea. Herbal tea made out of stinging nettle leaves is a gentle diuretic, helping the body to process and flush away toxins. I actually dry loads of the herb, so I always have a stash for winter!
Common Polypody (Polypodium vulgare)
If you like it sweet, then this is your tea! The incredibly sweet root of the common polypody makes the loveliest sweet tea ever. You can also use a small slice as a natural sweetener and add it to your normal cup of black tea.
TIP: If you keep the roots in a paper bag you can enjoy them for a long time!
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
The flowers, leaves and stems make a wonderful herbal tea (delicious with some honey) and can be used fresh as well as dried. Yarrow is super easy to dry, just hang bunches upside down in a dark, dry place so you can enjoy your yarrow teas throughout winter. But don’t use to much of the herb, or your tea will taste horribly bitter!
There you have it! Some excellent options to make an alpine tea. Always remember, if you are not positive of whether a plant is safe, do not add it to your tea. Whether your in the Alps or far away, sip and enjoy a taste of the Alps.
What favorite herbs do you like to add to your teas? We want to hear in the comments below!
You may also enoy:
- Wild flowers to brighten up your salad – Edible plants in the Alps
- 5 Easy to Recognize Edible Plants in the Alps
If you step into the natural world with Simone, her passion for all living things—wild flowers to lichen, birds to mammals—can’t help but rub off on you. She’s excited to meet you on your Tour du Mont Blanc and share the amazing natural wonders in the Alps.
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- Flora in the Alps – Spotlight on the Alpenrose - June 25, 2020
- Tour du Mont Blanc Hightlight: The Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve - May 21, 2020