Eco Friendly Tea

I was recently asked for some eco-friendly uses for tea in honor of Earth Day. I have tested all of the ideas listed below...now if I could just remember to bring the reusable bag with me when I go to the supermarket.

* Used green tea leaves can be placed on top of the soil of houseplants to provide rich nutrients. All-natural plant food!
* Used black or green tea leaves can be used to feed azaleas and hydrangeas- just sprinkle the leaves on the soil around the plant. Note- My azaleas love tea.
* Used black or green tea leaves can be dried and made into sachets. Place the sachets inside boots and sneakers to absorb odors and moisture. Note- I use 2 in each shoe for my husband's sneakers!
* Used green tea leaves (dried) can refresh a stinky carpet. Sprinkle the tea leaves on the carpet, use the broom to gently move the leaves into the carpet fibers, wait 1/2 hour and vacuum.

Get Your Matcha On!

Last week my husband, son and I went to New York City for a few days. We hit our favorite restaurants and got lucky that the weather was cooperative. I have a favorite smoothie shop on W. Broadway that offers all types of "special boosts" to their drinks- like immunity, energy and digestive. I decided to add the immunity boost to my strawberry whirl and was surprised to find that they added a teaspoon of Matcha as the immunity booster. Matcha is stone-ground, powdered green tea from Japan. "Real" matcha is Tencha-grade so you have to be careful to know what you are buying (you cannot find the real stuff in a supermarket). It has a much higher level of antioxidants (it is reported to be 137 times stronger)than regular brewed tea since you are consuming the whole leaf. Give it a try- you will be shocked at how much energy you have. Cheers!