Are herbal teas edible/healthy?

[Piasa]

Can you feed the contents of a teabag as kind of a "seasoning"? Organic herbal tea, looking at one with just roasted dandelion root and one with chamomile and lavender. I am thinking of adding to a chop.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi Piasa How's Jimmy & Beau?

Have you researched the Plants Safe and Toxic Plants list?

I can suggest something that will work OK for you and how you want to use it, and produced for birds and this is 'Bird Greens' by Kaytee.

Here you go:-
Kaytee » Kaytee Foraging Bird greens

Hope you find this helpful?

 

[Piasa]

I've been spending a head-spinning amount of time reading about safe/toxic plants and foods but always questions

These teas should be non-toxic, but I didn't know if these things used for tea are not appropriate to eat (vs drink the tea from). Trying to think how to say this. Like if the flavor in the water is pulled from twigs, you wouldn't want to eat the twig.

Jimmy is doing great right now, she is doing well with the laser therapy. It's been up and down, but I am cautiously optimistic.

Beau has a proto-chop of cooked quinoa, bok choy, cayenne and bell pepper today - he's eating it all! Bok choy is new to him, and 2nd day with quinoa. Working on getting what he needs in this mix as fast as I can.. that's where this thread comes in! Thank you so much for thinking of them (hmm, surely there must be a green cheek icon somewhere!)

 

[henpecked]

When deciding if its ok to feed my bird something,,,, i ask myself, what is the benefit? If it's something i know is good for them and they might need it, then fine. But if it's just as n experiment, don't do it. What ever is in that tea is much more concentrated in the grounds (leaves) and you're feeding it to a very small organism compared to you. What are gaining by feeding this to your parrot? Is it worth the risk??? You want to improve their diet? Try sprouts,, so good and so easy.

 

[Piasa]

Thanks Henpecked. I'll try to figure out another way to get them some dandelion.

I'm giving bean sprouts too, but always scared I'm not doing it right. I quit after they got sick and just started again. I'm a total food-prep novice.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Thanks Henpecked. I'll try to figure out another way to get them some dandelion.

I'm giving bean sprouts too, but always scared I'm not doing it right. I quit after they got sick and just started again. I'm a total food-prep novice.

Piasa just to clarify, you do mean sprouted seeds and legumes don't you not the chinese stir fry bean shoots (white) because there has been several scares/warnings for 'bean sprouts' re poisoning - I wont feed Plum those.

If you can go back to the link I gave you 'best bird food' - please research her she is good IMO. Really into nutrition and holistics. The list of foods I gave you was nutritionally balanced. Nothing else needed. I'm a firm believer in the saying "Less is More"

You can feed dandelion leaves, just washed. I have a few in the garden but it's probably worth waiting for the new leaves. You could try drying these and saving for the Winter months.

 

[Piasa]

Bean sprouts - I've been sprouting Best Bird Food Ever's wheat-free sprouts. Or if I do my own it's usually adzuki and garbanzo.

I have (BBFE's) Leslie Moran's sprouting book and she also sent me a few articles, read and bookmarked many places in book, doing my best to follow. I am still scared, don't know how to know if they still have toxins (if I sprouted them long enough) or sprouted too long and they are developing mold.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Ok good, just checking. Phew!

Chapter 4? and page 37 GSE & Sniff Test. Page 27 really useful too as explains the groups which will sprout at diff times - some are small and some are big like the beans.

You can decide how sprouted you want them.

 

[Piasa]

How do you dry the dandelion leaves? Just tie and hang upside down from ceiling in warm area?

I can't harvest my own as where I am staying now, they spray. But I can sometimes get them at the grocery. No luck getting them to eat the fresh ones yet, but I think I can hide the dry ones well enough.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Not an expert but as any leaves you want to keep I suppose. After cleaning and drying between clean paper/tissue in an airing cupboard - somewhere warm.

Think you might like this link

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/hgen/how-to-dry-herbs-various-methods.htm

 

[Piasa]

The beans are compatible sprout times and are supposed to take 3-5 days to sprout. Mine always have tiny tails at this point (5 days), only the very best growing ones reach 1/4". They don't smell, but I have seen white hairlike mold on them before and couldn't smell this. Should I be sprouting beyond 5 days? I read about this being a way they get moldy, and I get paranoid. Then, also paranoid that the tails aren't long enough for the bean to have become safe to eat.

I'm open to using ACV instead of GSE as a rinse agent but don't know how this works enough to do it. For instance, how much ACV to water to mix, then do I just pour it through my sprouting bag? I don't want to use GSE because of the additives, right now Beau isn't supposed to be getting preservatives or synthetic additives.

 

[Piasa]

Not an expert but as any leaves you want to keep I suppose. After cleaning and drying between clean paper/tissue in an airing cupboard - somewhere warm.

Think you might like this link

Learn About Herb Drying Methods

Awesome link, thank you!

 

[plumsmum2005]

The beans are compatible sprout times and are supposed to take 3-5 days to sprout. Mine always have tiny tails at this point (5 days), only the very best growing ones reach 1/4". They don't smell, but I have seen white hairlike mold on them before and couldn't smell this. Should I be sprouting beyond 5 days? I read about this being a way they get moldy, and I get paranoid. Then, also paranoid that the tails aren't long enough for the bean to have become safe to eat.

I'm open to using ACV instead of GSE as a rinse agent but don't know how this works enough to do it. For instance, how much ACV to water to mix, then do I just pour it through my sprouting bag? I don't want to use GSE because of the additives, right now Beau isn't supposed to be getting preservatives or synthetic additives.

Piasa I dont think Leslie would promote it if she wasnt sure (GSE), I would use it to combat mould and then rinse again before serving to birds. Mould is the bigger enemy IMHO. It will also help if your water supply is not tip top and something else to think about. page 32 is worth re reading. 9-10 drops to 32oz is not much but the benefits are huge. If the sprouts are in humid conditions, it's essential.

She quotes 3 days growing, so then rinse and refrigerate. As long as rinsing, 5 days should be OK IMHO. Is there enough light and warmth. See also bottom page 37 re sniff test. I think most can be used with tiny tails.
BTW have you looked at JerseyWendy's write up on sprouting.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Not sure about the tea thing, and I haven't mastered sprouts yet, but as for getting your bird to eat leafy green things try carrot tops. Zilla has always turned her beak up at everything leafy & green, but one day I clipped the carrot tops to the top of her cage hoping they would entertain her long enough for me to get dinner done and then I freaked out because she got quiet, so I peaked around the corner and she was eating them! Now I make sure I always buy carrots with the tops on (the organic grocery store I visit even gives me the tops other people didn't want)