AT THE SHOW? Enjoy a fresh brew

We're serving up iced tea at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

We’ve collaborated with tea specialists Tea Drop to bring you iced teas that are freshly brewed and refreshingly cold. Tea Drop’s team of passionate artisans scour the world to create memorable blends and will be on hand in the Ryman area at stand 38 to answer all your questions.

Learn more about Tea Drop by visitng teadrop.com.au enjoy 15% off your online order by using discount code “RYMAN15” at checkout.

If your interest is brewing, here are a handful of tea recipes to try at home.

Sweet Lemon Iced Tea

A refreshing burst of lemon, mint, and black tea. This sweet lemon infusion delivers minty freshness and zesty lemon flavours with a healthy dose of vitamin C. Serves 8 – great for storing in the fridge

Ingredients

8 cups boiling water

1/2 cup low GI sugar

5 black tea bags

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 lemon, thinly sliced Ice cubes and fresh mint leaves, to serve

Method

1. Combine the boiling water and sugar. Stir until dissolved.

2. Add the tea bags, then swirl. Set aside for 15 minutes to steep. Squeeze the tea bags into the water to extract the remaining flavour, then discard.

3. Add the lemon juice, stir, and set aside for 1 hour to cool.

4. Add the lemon slices and refrigerate for 5 hours.

5. Pour the iced tea over a glass filled with ice cubes and add a few fresh mint leaves. Enjoy!

*See page 5 for full addressdetails.

Creamy Thai Iced Tea

A must-try for you milky tea lovers.

Serves 2

Cucumber Mint Green Tea

Find a new morning favourite.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cucumber

8 cups green tea, cooled after brewing

Juice of 2 large limes, freshly

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped and muddled

Cucumber slices and sprigs of mint, to garnish

Method

1. Peel, seed, and puree the cucumber. Place the cucumber puree in a large bowl or jug.

2. Add the green tea, lime juice, and mint leaves.

3. Cover and let chill overnight.

4. Add ice to each glass and garnish with sliced cucumber. Pour in the mixture and push a mint sprig into the ice to finish.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp loose-leaf black tea (alternative, caffeine-free rooibos tea)

2 cardamom pods

1 star anise

Tamarind powder, to taste

1/8 vanilla bean

1/2 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp cream of coconut

1 tbsp sugar (alternative, honey)

2 tsp coconut milk

Ice cubes, to serve

Method

1. Add the tea, cardamom, star anise, tamarind powder, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and almond extract to the boiling water. Let it steep for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid.

2. Add the cream of coconut and sugar or honey to the liquid. Stir until completely dissolved.

3. Let the tea cool then pour it between two glasses filled with ice cubes. Leave 2-3 cms free at the top.

4. Split the coconut milk between the two glasses, filling the remaining space.

Peachy Ginger Iced Tea

Our take on last year's most popular tea.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 green tea bags (alternative, caffeine-free rooibos tea)

1 peach, pitted and sliced

4 ginger slices, peeled

3 cups hot water

2 mason jars, to store and serve Grated ginger, to serve

Method

1. Split the tea bags, peach, ginger, and hot water between the jars.

2. Let steep for 15 minutes then remove the tea bags.

3. Refrigerate the jars for 4 hours then strain the liquid.

4. Sprinkle with grated ginger to serve.

HOW landart.com.au good for health.”

Design expert and horticulturalist Matt Leacy, founder and creative director of the award winning Landart shares some of the ways spending time outdoors in the garden can positively impact health.

Studies have also found that gardening helps promote sleep and feelings of relaxation. “I know I always crash after a big day in the garden. I think it’s the combination of sun, a sense of accomplishment and sheer physical exhaustion.

As people age sleep is very often broken, so gardening can be a very healthy natural antidote to night-time restlessness,” said Matt.

“Gardening can also help with memory retention in dementia patients. Having watched my father and aunt suffer from Alzheimer’s this positive benefit of spending time in the garden holds great personal interest to me. There are studies overseas that are showing a direct correlation between the benefits of gardening on dementia patients. As little as 20 minutes a day has been shown to increase brain nerve growth associated with improving memory.

I’m also a big advocate of growing your own leafy green vegetables for brain health. There’s no doubt that getting dirty and eating clean are good for you,” added Matt.

With anxiety and mental health issues on the rise gardening has also been proven to reduce stress levels and provide a mood boost. It will also help reduce blood pressure.

Gardening with friends, neighbours, family or even strangers can also offer a sense of connection and wellbeing.

From a nutrition point of view edible gardens also give control over what goes onto and into vegetables and fruit. “If you have the space, I’m a huge advocate of growing your own foods. With costs continuing to rise, growing your own vegetables and herbs is also a way of saving money and ensuring in times of food shortages – like recently when supermarkets were charging $10 plus for a lettuce when there was a shortage – you can always access fresh, seasonal produce for healthy eating,” said Matt.