I absolutely love giving homemade gifts to family and friends during the holidays. Still, as life has gotten busier, I’ve found it harder and harder to make time for elaborate gift making. And, aside from the small businesses I love to support by purchasing gifts for a handful of family and friends, I don’t want the cost to preclude me from expressing my gratitude to the people I love in my life. 

So, a few years ago, I took an inventory of all the herbs growing in my garden and earmarked the mint for gifting come winter. Mint is an easy-to-grow herb, even in a pot on a windowsill, and she is known for her tummy soothing properties (anyone else have a nervous stomach this year??).

I want to walk you through an easy-to-make handcrafted mint tea gift that is in entirely reusable packaging, is grown organically and with love, and that everyone is sure to enjoy!

Step 1:

Bundle the herb with 4-5 stems, and hang it to dry in an area with good airflow. This time of year, it works really well to hang the bundles above a wood stove or fireplace, but anywhere dry will work if that isn’t an option. You’ll only need to hang them for a few days, but if you’re doing this as a last minute gift, you could also use a dehydrator or put the stalks on a cookie sheet in the oven on the lowest setting (mine is 150 degrees).

Step 2:

Destem the dried herb and collect it in a bowl

Step 3:

Use unbleached paper tea bags and fill each one with a heaping teaspoon of the dried mint. Fold the end over about ¼” and then again. 

Step 4:

Sew the folded ends of the tea bags. You can leave a little thread tail between each bag, so you can trim later without them unraveling. 

Step 5:

Fill 8-oz mason jars with 10-20 tea bags. You can cut out scrap fabric to put under the lid ring or use recycled paper bags for a kraft paper look. You can adorn the jars with found objects, such as acorns or ribbons. I make little handwritten tags and thread the ribbon. 

Step 6:

No, you have easy little jars of love to give to your family and friends. To use the tea, steep in hot water for 4-5 minutes, add a little honey if that’s how you like it, and enjoy!