Red Clover Blossoms As Food and Tea
Many wild and cultivated plants can be used to make refreshing teas. One such plant is red clover. To make tea from red clover, pick only the blossoms when they are fully open, but not yet turning brown. Use four to five clover blossoms per cup of tea. Bring the water to boiling with the blossoms in the water. Boil at a gentle boil for three minutes, then turn the heat off. Let the blossoms steep until the color is as dark as you like. Clover blossom tea will not get as dark as Oriental tea. It will be pale and green to yellowish.
Red clover is a perennial and will grow in the same spot for many years. If it is left to grow naturally, red clover will send up a mass of blossoms which will turn brown and make seeds. The dried brown seed heads contain a nutritious seed that can be ground along with the seed head for a flour.
In order to assure a supply of clover blossoms, the blossoms must all be picked as soon as they are fully open. If the plant is not allowed to set seed, the blossoms can be harvested from late spring until fall. The plant will continually send up more blossoms, trying to set seed. This harvesting will not hurt the plant at all.
The blossoms can be used fresh as harvested or air dried. They dry well on newspaper or screen indoor in a dry place. They dry fully in around a week. They will turn slightly brown as they dry but will be perfectly fine to use.
Red clover blossoms are reputed to have anti cancer properties and contain hormonal principles the help with menopausal hot flashes.
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