How do you get warm in this cold and grey weather right now? Well, I’ve got just the things to warm you up!
Did you know that Stratford is the home of Canada’s very first tea sommelier? Karen Hartwick of Tea Leaves Tasting Bar has been trained in all sorts of things about tea, from the growing and picking of it, to the processing and how to brew tea, how tea works with your body, and health benefits. Karen has tasted everything thousands of times. She knows the herbs, the roots, what they taste like, and how they pair together.
Can you guess how many kinds of tea Karen has at Tea Leaves? She has 125 different kinds of fresh, quality tea, including White, Black, Green, Oolong, and Pu’er, plus 70 to 80 different kinds of roots, herbs and spices.
At this time of year, her most popular tea is Herbal Hot Cinnamon. Karen blends cinnamon from three different countries: Vietnam, Sri Lanka and China. Then she adds rooibos, orange peel, a touch of clove, and an herbal base. It’s super sweet, has lots of minerals; and cinnamon regulates blood sugar.
I’m here for the “Tea Leaves Tasting Bar Experience.” I pull up a seat at the bar and sample teas. We talk about my preferences. When I’m smelling the teas, Karen watches my body language and can tell whether I’m liking them, and then she knows which teas to give me next. We make choices based on that, and on what the purpose of the tea is for me. I need something that is relaxing before bedtime, so Karen customizes my own tea. It’s a beautiful, calming blend of Egyptian Chamomile and Lemon Balm that smells like honey with a subtle hint of lemon. Mmm… it’s so satisfying. I’ve named my blend: Starry Night Tea.
Different teas are good for different times of the year, seasons, moods and how I’m feeling inside or outside. It provides nourishment.
Behind Karen, stands a whole wall of black containers of tea.
“Why aren’t the teas in glass jars so we can see them?” I ask Karen. “You want tea to be very fresh, so storage of tea is very important.” She tells me. “Light, heat and air breakdown tea. That’s why they’re in black tins, to keep out air, moisture and sunlight.”
“What are Chakra teas?” I ask.
These are teas that Karen blends for connecting with the body’s energy centres (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown.) Certain herbs go with certain areas of your body to unblock your energy. We look at all the colours and smell all the Chakra blends to see which ones we’re drawn to. For my daddy and me, Karen selects the Root Chakra Tea, which is a blend of two-year-old pu-er, ginger root and dandelion. This tea tastes very earthy, but it’s also soft and a little sweet. What it does is, it grounds you, makes you feel stable, and more focused. After drinking this I definitely feel more connected.
From Karen, I learn that choosing the right tea is not about buying a box of one that might taste good off a shelf, it’s about having fun discovering what pairs well with me.
Speaking of “connections”, did you know that Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, once lived in Stratford? At Edison’s Café, Buffy Illingworth specializes in adaptogens. Now, you might ask: “What is an adaptogen?” And, “What is it doing in my hot chocolate?”
Adaptogens are things that help the body adapt to stress. I am told they lower your cortisol, and they support adrenal glands, and all of those things that keep your body calm and put you in a state of healing. Sounds good to me! The Adaptogenic Hot Chocolate is made of maca root, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, raw cacao powder and maple syrup. I’ve never heard of some of these ingredients before, but this is one relaxing cup of “Ho Cho!” It’s a calm and soothing way to end a long day.
My daddy drinks the 5 Defenders Latte with five different kinds of mushrooms in it: chaga, turkey tail, lion’s main, cordyceps, and reishi. All of these ingredients are adaptogenic with healing properties. They help support the gut and immune health. Keep your brain healthy, give you energy, and support the overall balance of your body.
Buffy has studied horticulture, plants and holistic nutrition. She loves cooking and makes up her own recipes. She brings all these things together in everything she cooks and bakes. I love her Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies! They’re the perfect balance of sweet and salt and the texture is so thick and satisfying. This is the perfect cookie to dunk into a glass of milk. Buffy makes her own flour, and only uses natural sugars, so not only are these cookies ridiculously good, they’re also not bad for you. I also taste her Adaptogenic Brownie. Wow…this is like the hot chocolate, but it's a luxurious brownie, and there’s no gluten, no dairy, and no refined sugars.
I can tell, Buffy puts her love into this. That’s her secret ingredient. “I use a lot of medicinal plants in my food. That’s how this all came about.” She tells me. “I believe that food should heal you, and that’s what functional medicine is based on.”
Okay, so the weather is cold. It’s flu season. When we get home, what we need is a warm, soothing, nourishing bowl of soup! Soup is the easiest thing in the world to make. All you have to do is boil a pot of water, and throw everything from your fridge into that pot. I have a very delicious and nutritious recipe to share. It’s not like, “Eat this, it’s good for you, but it tastes horrible.” This actually tastes really good, and it’s so healthy. After a long day at school, this is what I make for my family.
Asher’s Golden Chicken Soup
What you’ll need is…
- 1 chicken (high in collagen, and helps joint health, bone health, digestion, sleep and immune system)
- Ginger (anti-inflammatory, really good for colds)
- Garlic (anti-viral, high in vitamin C)
- Turmeric (anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol)
- Onion (anti-bacterial, anti-oxidants)
- Bay Leaves (anti-bacterial, anti-cholesterol)
- Lemon (good for heart and digestion, high in vitamin C)
- Kombu (high in iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, iron, and calcium)
- Italian Parsley (anti-oxidant, high in vitamins A and C)
- Fresh Thyme (high in vitamins A and C)
- Golden Raisins (high in iron and fibre)
- Carrot (high in Vitamin A)
- Celery (aids digestion and lowers blood pressure)
- Yukon Gold Potato (high in vitamins B6, C, potassium and fiber)
Steps…
- Get some help
- Boil a big pot of water, and once it’s boiled, put the chicken in the pot for about five minutes. You do this to get rid of any impurities.
- Remove the chicken and empty out that water.
- Remove the fat from the chicken.
- Clean the pot, add the chicken back in, and the other ingredients (to taste)
- I measure by the handful, and my hand is about half a cup. I added the chopped ginger, turmeric, onions, sprigs of thyme, blades of Kombu (dried kelp,) and 3 cloves of cut garlic in this way.
- ½ lemon (cut into quarters)
- 4 Bay leaves
- 1 cup of golden raisins
- Add just enough water so that all the ingredients are fully submerged.
- Cover with lid, and cook at a low boil for about an hour.
- Strain out all the ingredients. Add only pieces of chicken meat back into the pot.
- Add in chopped carrot, celery and potato (to taste)
- Cook on low heat for another hour.
- Remove the lid and reduce the soup for about half an hour, so that the flavour becomes more concentrated.
- For best results, put the soup in the fridge overnight so that the flavours coalesce, and so that the fat rises to the top, so you (or your assistant) can easily spoon out the fat in the morning.
- Last, but not least, the most important step of all, without which it wouldn’t be complete: Enjoy!
* It’s really important to taste as you go, because you may want to add ingredients or take some out. I added more raisins in the last half hour for an extra hint of richness.
* I did not use any salt. The kombu is salty, because it’s from the sea, and there is so much rich flavour anyway. But you can add salt and pepper if you want.
* This makes 8 to 10 bowls or 12 to 15 cups.
It tastes really chicken-y, there’s a hint of sweetness; you taste all the flavours and notes, one after the other; and it’s super healthy. My daddy and I made this for my Nana and she loved it!
