Since the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) dwelled here over 1,000 years ago, this native herb has been used to brew a delightful, relaxing infusion for daily drinking. According to Dunmire and Tierney:
“Indian tea is universally sought for brewing a hot beverage by people from all Indian tribes and quite a few Hispanics and Anglos who live in the Four Corners country today. The consensus is that the slightly smoky-flavored beverage produced from Thelesperma is the best of the wild herb teas in our region.”
William W. Dunmire and Gail D. Tierney, (1997), Wild Plants and Native Peoples of the Four Corners. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press
Harvested with a spirit of gratitude
My first small plot of greenthread native herbal tea was planted in June, 2002. My own satisfaction has always been intertwined with the health of the soil here and the good of the plant. I am thankful for the blessing greenthread is to me and to the people of this region and I am happy to be able to work with it and share it with health-conscious herbal tea enthusiasts, foodies, and native food lovers around the world. Please view the project summary in the HDF Greenthread Flyer (Adobe .pdf 592 KB).
A good small idea*
My goal in growing on a small scale is to nurture the ecology of the plant, cultivate the best plants possible and distribute them as an excellent product. Where else in the world will you find a tea packaged, marketed and shipped by the grower himself?
The Ark of Taste
In September 2005 High Desert Farmers’ Greenthread was added to the Ark of Taste at Slow Food USA.
*A notion gleaned from the writing of farmer, poet, and essayist Wendell Berry regarding economy and agriculture.
