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In the center of our front yard hovers a multi-trunked matured olive tree. The olives began to drop in the early part of fall which gave me the impression that the tree only produced green olives.  Being a Kalamata and a Colossal Black Olives advocate, it was much to my delightful surprise when I researched the matter and found out that black olives are borne from green ones.

Nevertheless, I began to pick the green olives mainly out of impatience and excitement to being the curing process (figuring I would make my mistakes on the greens and perfect them with the blacks).

Picking was a ton of fun, as Will and I placed a blanket on the grass beneath the tree and engaged in a series of shaking branches, smacking with ends of broomsticks, climbing up on the limbs and hand-picking a TON of olives to fill a very large bucket.

We decided to water-cure this round.  First, we scoured the olives for any insect-ridden holes and tossed those out.  Next, we sliced each and every olive with a knife lengthwise to allow for the bitterness to escape and immediately placed each olive into a bucket filled with water to prevent from browning.  The olives need to be completely submerged in the water to prevent oxidation.  We then placed the bucket in the refrigerator. 

I changed the water daily for almost a month. This apparently helps clean the olives and lessen the bitterness level.  I really should have waited for the full month, but when I tried the taste of the water content it was to my liking so I packed them just 4 days shy of the month date.

So 26 days after picking, I packed the olives in jars with various ingredients and topped it off with salt water.  Some ingredients I used were citrus rinds, sage, oregano, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, coriander, black pepper, garlic, sumac, hot pepper, chili powder, fruit seasoning, mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar.  Here we mixed and matched each jar with different combinations.  This process was so much fun that it dawned on us that we could even use a tea for added flavoring.  The tea that immediately came to our minds was Lapsang Souchong which would marinate the olives with a smokey flavor.

Each of us packed our own jar.  Mine contained Lapsang Souchong, lemon, bay leaves, coriander, and black pepper.  Will tried Lapsang Souchong with haleppo pepper, sumac, lime, white balsamic vinegar and garlic.  We are now in the process of refrigerating the curing jars for a couple of days and anxiously awaiting the results.

Stay tuned for the taste test!

When the camelia sinensis plant gave birth, she produced a similar yet very distinctive set of quadruplets: green, white, oolong and black. The siblings that shine the most are the oldest and the youngest...green and black. As the youngest, black tea has for many generations been the spoiled, all American favorite especially in southern households as it is welcomed with every meal, iced. Green tea, although it chose to go backpacking around the world and thus developed a finer sense of appreciation, has far lived in the shadow of its youngest sibling at home.  Brewing with jealousy, green tea rebelled with a vengeance, ostentatiously serving its world- reknowned health benefits at the family dinner, thereby securing its birthright. Thriving off of the fierce competition, black tea did some soul searching and discovered that it too, is more than just the little favorite. Below is a scoreboard of health categories to square away the sibling rivalry and to reveal where their respective talents lie.

Healthy Heart. Black tea wins. Black tea contains flavinoids which is a phytonutrient that contains anti-oxidant benefits. The consumption of black tea, with the aid of the flavinoids, can lead to the reduction of stoke and heart disease risk because it reduces the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) that is associated with helping to cause these two diseases.

Fights Cancer. Green tea wins. Green tea has high levels of EGCG which has been found to inhibit experimental tumor growth in animals.

High in Anti-oxidants. Green tea wins. The main benefit of green tea is that it is loaded with a powerful anti-oxidant called EGCg. When it comes to the process of making black tea, this chemical compound is converted into other compounds, leaving researchers to believe that anti-oxidants are not as prevalent in black tea as they are in green tea.

Weightloss. Green tea wins. Green tea contains high levels of catechins which are anti-oxidants and polyphenols that are easily oxidized.  Catechins are more abundant in green tea than any other due to the least amount of fermentation that it undergoes.  One study suggests that the high levels of polyphenols in green tea activate the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving excess triglyceride, thereby burning fat.

Stress. Black tea wins. According to a study at the University College of London, black tea has an effect on the stress hormone levels of the body.

Less Calories. Draw. Neither black nor green contain any calories without any additives.

More Caffeine. Hard to say. Some researchers state that the least fermented would contain more caffeine. However, others say that caffeine does not evaporate and its levels remains constant even though black tea is fermented the most. Lets just say if their birthdays came around, they would probably get the same present.

Cinnamon, cloves and apricot spice is a triangle defense invented for a cold winter's day, but can taste even better on a hot Summer day.  Although this European style tea is great hot, it is all the more better chilled.  The ice-and-spicy elements for this sun tea will take you for a stroll down the cobblestone streets and land you a seat at a patio of a European cafe on a hot summer day.  

Ingredients:

4-5 heaping tablespoons of apricot spiced loose leaf tea like Apricot Chai

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

1 gallon filtered water

Large glass pot with lid

2 teaspoons sugar 

Directions:

Add water in the glass teapot.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Combine other ingredients into the glass teapot.  Steep in direct sunlight for 6 hours or more according to taste. Strain liquid out into glasses containing ice. Garnish with a slice of orange.

Mint is a refreshing ingredient to any drink on a melting hot day.  In the category of superfoods, mint is a superstar. For centuries now, mint is known for multiple ailments: nausea, headache, acne, digestion, skincare, asthma, fresh breath and so on.  It also grows bountifully in a garden patch all year long.  Combine this verdant herb with black tea and you have yourself a summer power drink. 

Here's a mint infused sun tea recipe that will keep you cool as a cucumber all summer long! 

Garden Mint Sun Tea.

Ingredients:

5 heaping tablespoons of loose leaf black tea (Organic Darjeeling)

8 cups of filtered water

Large glass pitcher with lid

1 cup of fresh garden mint, crushed and thoroughly washed

Lemon rinds

A hot and bright sunny, summer day

Directions:

Combin all ingredients in a glass pitcher and cover with the lid.  Set in sun for 6 to 8 hours. Add desired sweetener if necessary.

Just in time for Father's Day!

Say, "Thank you Dad!" with a tea flight made just for Dad.  Skip the tie and scotch.  This year give Dad a healthy, delicious gift of gourmet loose leaf tea.  The Father's Day Tea Flight includes:

- Gunpowder green tea which helps prevent cancer, lowers cholesterol levels and promotes weight loss.

- Golden Monkey Paw black tea, one of Will's favorite black teas with a smooth malty taste.  Black tea reduces stress and the signs of aging.

- Lapsang Souchong black tea, a unique, naturally smokey flavored tea, that reduced stress and fights cancer.  This tea is delicious hot and can also be used as a rub on steak and chicken for a delicious, natural grilling flavor enhancer.

- Big Red Robe Oolong tea, the finest Oolong tea available anywhere.  This delcious tea is sure to hook your dad on loose leaf tea while promoting weight loss and healthy skin.

Get all of this with $12 OFF available only during this special promotion. Visit the 'Tea Gifts' page and scroll down to the Father's Day Flight!

 Happy Father's Day!