Tea with the seasons – Easing the Autumn transition

Ah, September!
You are the doorway to the season
that awakens my soul…
but I must confess that I love you
only because you are a prelude
to my beloved October.
-Peggy Toney Horton

Sweet September is indeed a doorway – a marigold-yellow door swinging back and forth in a weathered blue frame. Memories of summer dance with visions of the coming autumn. Watermelon and bare feet and fireflies blur into ripe apples and cicadas and falling petals. Late nights and slow mornings transition to earlier bedtimes and school schedules. You can feel the sun’s distance, and hear the wild geese calling as they head south for the winter. Perhaps you’re sad to see summer’s end. You find yourself getting tired earlier in the evening. Holding that warm cup of tea just a little longer in the mornings. Or perhaps you come alive in autumn. Perhaps your blood is dancing with the crisp energy in the air as you await beloved October.

Our bodies and energy systems are shifting also as they adjust to changes in weather and changes in food. The fresh foods and light dinners of summer are giving way to warmer, slower foods. Cold and flu season is approaching. Our bodies feel these changes and it’s a wonderful time for a gentle detox. My favorite way to do this is through tea.

During this transition season, I find myself reaching for herbs such as burdock root, milk thistle, and dandelion root. These three powerhouses nourish the liver and the lymphatic system, gently detoxing and building up strength for the coming winter. Herbs such as calendula and red clover are wonderful herbal additions and help to nourish the skin, for my skin always seems to need some extra care during seasonal transitions. Rose hips and elderberry add a vitamin C boost to the immune system as cold and flu season looms. Warming spices such as ginger, turmeric, and fennel ease inflammation and soothe the digestive system.*

I love to bring these herbal remedies together into a black tea base when I need the caffeine. If I don’t want caffeine, I choose a red rooibos tea base instead. Not only does the sweet, nutty, almost-caramel flavor of red rooibos tea pair well with the earthiness of burdock and dandelion, but rooibos tea is also wonderful for skin health.

I often make a French press of this tea in the morning, giving it a second steep when I’m done. Second steeps are the second breakfasts of the tea world. Increase the normal steeping time by several minutes, or more if you like stronger teas, and you have another serving of tea. Anytime you use quality loose-leaf tea, second steeps are a good idea. You catch different nuances of flavor, not to mention getting even more herbal goodness. It’s a win-win! On a side note, I often set aside part of my second steep for a decadent latte later in the day with cream, honey, and a bit of extra spice. A scoop of pumpkin makes it rich and velvety and adds nourishment as well.

If blending your own tea isn’t something you feel inclined to do I have a tea in the shop that incorporates dandelion root and marshmallow root with black tea, orange peel, and spices. It’s a wonderful tea for autumn mornings and has proven to be a customer favorite. It’s called Roots & Wings and it’s linked below.

Learning to honor the seasonal transitions has gone a long way towards helping my body and spirit feel cared for and in balance instead of stretched thin, like butter over too much bread, as Bilbo Baggins said in The Fellowship of the Ring. There is something about seasonal transitions that make me feel the need to pause, to reflect on what came before, and to reorient towards what is coming. This year, as autumn lingers on the horizon, I hope you get the chance to go for a few walks in the changing woods and sip teas that nourish you. I’ll leave you with a song by the band Hollow Coves, called Blessings. I don’t know why, but it feels like the end of summer to me.

Happy September!

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*Note: Please tea with care. Everyone’s body is different and responds to herbs in different ways. If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications, please consult your doctor.