And just like that, Summer is over. Here in Central NY we've had Fall weather for a couple weeks. Highs in the low 70's sometimes 60's and lows in the mid 40's. Tea is a more welcomed necessity in the morning sine I outright refuse to turn the heat on this early in the year. Slow cooker meals are only used if I'm not around to babysit the stove. Otherwise it's nice to have the added heat in the house. Sweaters and sweatshirts are being pulled from the closet and our morning yoga is welcomed just to get the blood flowing and our core temps up.
Honestly, I already miss Summer. The next few weeks we'll spend getting ready for Winter. It comes early. Our first snow comes just around Halloween/Samhain. Thankfully it's usually just a dusting, but that just sets the weather pattern for the remainder of the season. We live in the snow belt and in our town it snows almost every day during the winter. We may not get much accumulation, but sometimes we can get 3-5 inches without warning. Tea becomes a very important part of each day. From when we wake up until we go to bed and for almost everything that ails us, we turn to some form of tea in our home.
Mornings are welcomed with a nice strong black tea and lots of caffeine. Usually sweetened with honey. If Etain isn't feeling well, it;s usually what we refer to as hot lemonade. Lemon juice, hot water and honey, sometimes with tumeric or ginger depending on what's bothering her.
In the afternoon we usually have a cup of flavored black tea to warm us up and give us an extra boost of energy to get out and get stalls cleaned and outdoor chores done. Sometimes even another cup when we come back in to warm back up and take the chill out. If it's particularly cold, we'll pick a Kapha balancing tea to knock the chill out. a nice spiced chai is always welcomed.
In the evening we usually have an after dinner tea which consists of relaxing and de stressing herbs such as chamomile, sometimes a little fruity. They're great to soothe the digestive tract and help us get a good night's sleep.
That is probably some of the better parts of our cold season. Sitting by the fire and sipping tea while reading a book or crocheting (or writing a blog post) is a great way to pass time on a cold rainy or snowy evening. It's also a nice healthy break when you're weighted down with homework.
What will your tea be?