This week we welcomed Dr Zhang (UGA) and Dr Bi (MSU) and three students to the farm to work on some tea plant breeding. This is where farming and science come together to help create strains of plants with new capabilities. Do tea plants need to have a seed? In the wild, yes tea plants would need a seed in order to reproduce. At a tea farm we can certainly make use of tea seeds but once you have all the tea plants you need, you really do not need the seeds. Tea plants can also be reproduced by cuttings as well. For the tea plant to live out its years as a successful producer of harvestable tea leaves it actually...
Our Chai and Pumpkin Spice teas have the perfect seasonal flavor. These two teas are wonderful teas for the fall and holiday season and contain our US grown Black tea. The blend of spices in each tea is comforting and full of aroma. Spiced teas have a way of connecting a taste to a special time. Pumpkin Spice flavors connect you to the beautiful feeling of fall while Chai has a Christmas seasonal feeling. Let's look closer at each tea: A Chai made with US grown black tea Chai was originated in India and is a very common drink there. Many families will have their own blend. Chai itself means "tea" in many languages. Thus, you do not need to refer...
How do we get Tea Blossom Honey? We get asked, "how do we know it is Tea Blossom Honey?" Although a honey bee can travel a fair distance for nectar sources, it is unlikely to, when a valuable nectar source is right outside their door. In the fall is when we harvest our Tea Blossom Honey. First, we change out the hive. At this time, all the usual Mississippi fall flowers have completed their bloom cycle.The Goldenrod has finished its blooms. But in our fields, where the bee hives are placed, are thousands of tea blossom blooms, covered in honey bees. The honey bees can be found all over the tea plants blossoming in abundance. The availability of thousands of...
We offer Mississippi Belle Oolong and Mississippi Empress Oolong in our online farm store each year. Oolong teas are rare in the US and usually made in Southern China and Taiwan. It requires a UV process to achieve the right flavor. But we found we can use technology to duplicate the UV process right here in Mississippi and still achieve the great Oolong flavor. Thus, allowing us to make this great tea closer to home. So what is the difference between the two Oolong teas? Mississippi Belle Oolong tea is made all season long. We have a particular plant that is needed for this tea. It has a more robust flavor. A smooth buttery mouthfeel. It has flavor notes of...
