Harvest Notes:
12/9/12: two batches: 41g, and 47g yields: 123g
12/10/12: two batches: yields: 156g
12/13/12: 99g and 99g yields: 198g.
12/14/12: 87g and 148g, 69g, and 43g yields: 347g.
12/15/12: 116, 125, and 138g, yields: 374g.
1/9/13: 92 g.
totalling: 1.3 kg or 2.8 lbs.
Approximately 30 minutes of labor per batch with the 130-140F dehydrator - spent maybe 8 hours lab0r. Pan roasted leaves require more attention to process (monitor to avoid scorching) and thus more labor.
Most were dried in the dehydrator, about 5% I roasted in a wok. Roasting does yield a more interesting flavor profile, but it is more efficient to process them in the dehydrator until a larger roasting device (I imagine a rotating heated steel drum in which to tumble the leaves) is procured or designed.
I generally brew 40 g batches (1/2 cup finely ground) into 3-4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, and stir and observe until the boil-over danger is passed (stir down solids which collect on the pot's sides as the frothy yellow bubbles rise and the hydrophobic insoluble dark greens are thrown out of solution), and let brew simmer ten minutes. The greens will become soluble after 5 minutes of boiling. Cool and collect the liquid supernatant (solids settle quickly - no need to filter), about one quart for immediate use. Set another quart onto boil in a tea pot, and add this back to the pot, and let the whole thing stew with its residual heat until it cools, or simmer longer... Secondary decoctions, and/or longer decoctions extract more robust flavors, but strength diminishes in tertiary decoctions as there is less left to extract. Longer decoctions will drive off some of the delicate aromatic flavors. If stored at room temperature for several days oxidation tastes emerge - sort of a flat taste. Cooled black drink stores well in at 4C in the fridge without oxidation. Drink it hot, drink it cold. Add sugar and citrus for a more tea-like flavor, drink it black and strong for something closer to coffee. Another option is to froth the brew - I vigorously shake up black drink in a 3/4 filled recycled juice container. Holds a rather long lasting frothy foam (much longer than beer foam). Forced oxidation also slightly changes the flavor profile. Mints are good additives if you like them.
40 grams yields enough strong brew for 3 to 4 days - therefore 1.3 kg is enough for about three months at that rate of consumption. Though I'll mix it up and take green tea or less often coffee as alternates to the yaupon black drink in between big brews. Yaupon is my favored beverage. The mate we get in the USA falls inbetween greentea and coffee.
Be brave, drink Yaupon.
Many more plants to harvest than were pruned. As the tall pines in the forest succumb to pine beetles, more light filters down to the understory yaupon hollies, and the main shoots rapidly reach upward.. Some of the best leaves can be harvested from the the tops of these young yaupon whose primary trunks are sparse of leave, yet slender enough to be pliant and bent back down to the earth. Relieve these medium plants of spanish moss and vines whilst you prune them. New upward shoots will out number the older primary shoots as the plants recover from injury.
You can harvest the outer bark from these primary shoots before they are dried (harder to peel afterwards). Bark adds some cinnamon or cinnamaldehydic flavors to the brew. Fresh shoot stems are often colored dark purple, and in others, bright green. Why, dunno??? Save the tender dark purple stems after drying as they can be added into the decoction boil for extra flavors.
Older yaupon with thick trunks reaching 20-30 feet into the air are harder bend to the ground to harvest, but a pruning of the primary trunk will not kill the plant, and many shoots will result - but the pruned yaupon will not look like the natural undisturbed specimens for many years afterwards.
Usually I harvest after large downpours which wash leaf tops - but still have to screen the dried goods for curled leaves which nest insect larvae cocoons, and other contaminants: spanish moss, greenbriar vine tendrils, etc... Else, hand rinse them in a tub of water, and shake dry.
Later than January harvests run into problems of smut and pine pollen, plus older leaves of some plants begin to yellow, but new shoots with purple stems are still sprouting from many plants, especially those receiving most sunlight.
This year our first real hard frost fell on Ground Hog's Day, Feb 2, 2013. Frosts down here don't really bother the Yaupon - but they must have their temperature limits as it is a plant which prefers the coastal lowlands.
Soon the male Yaupon will begin to bloom, and these numerous flower sprouts, which outnumber the females about 10:1, are good to harvest in lieu of the fresh leaves which emerge in the next month. Male flowers will add yet another flavor into the harvested and dried plant product profile.
Winter crops of Southern citrus excel. All sorts of citrus juices enhance the flavors of yaupon holly beverages. Particularly I enjoy the calmondin juices (about one fruit per cup). This year I lucked upon a crop of kumquats (use about three per cup) . The calmondin is the best though - very tart, juicy and rich in Vit C.
12/9/12: two batches: 41g, and 47g yields: 123g
12/10/12: two batches: yields: 156g
12/13/12: 99g and 99g yields: 198g.
12/14/12: 87g and 148g, 69g, and 43g yields: 347g.
12/15/12: 116, 125, and 138g, yields: 374g.
1/9/13: 92 g.
totalling: 1.3 kg or 2.8 lbs.
Approximately 30 minutes of labor per batch with the 130-140F dehydrator - spent maybe 8 hours lab0r. Pan roasted leaves require more attention to process (monitor to avoid scorching) and thus more labor.
Most were dried in the dehydrator, about 5% I roasted in a wok. Roasting does yield a more interesting flavor profile, but it is more efficient to process them in the dehydrator until a larger roasting device (I imagine a rotating heated steel drum in which to tumble the leaves) is procured or designed.
I generally brew 40 g batches (1/2 cup finely ground) into 3-4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, and stir and observe until the boil-over danger is passed (stir down solids which collect on the pot's sides as the frothy yellow bubbles rise and the hydrophobic insoluble dark greens are thrown out of solution), and let brew simmer ten minutes. The greens will become soluble after 5 minutes of boiling. Cool and collect the liquid supernatant (solids settle quickly - no need to filter), about one quart for immediate use. Set another quart onto boil in a tea pot, and add this back to the pot, and let the whole thing stew with its residual heat until it cools, or simmer longer... Secondary decoctions, and/or longer decoctions extract more robust flavors, but strength diminishes in tertiary decoctions as there is less left to extract. Longer decoctions will drive off some of the delicate aromatic flavors. If stored at room temperature for several days oxidation tastes emerge - sort of a flat taste. Cooled black drink stores well in at 4C in the fridge without oxidation. Drink it hot, drink it cold. Add sugar and citrus for a more tea-like flavor, drink it black and strong for something closer to coffee. Another option is to froth the brew - I vigorously shake up black drink in a 3/4 filled recycled juice container. Holds a rather long lasting frothy foam (much longer than beer foam). Forced oxidation also slightly changes the flavor profile. Mints are good additives if you like them.
40 grams yields enough strong brew for 3 to 4 days - therefore 1.3 kg is enough for about three months at that rate of consumption. Though I'll mix it up and take green tea or less often coffee as alternates to the yaupon black drink in between big brews. Yaupon is my favored beverage. The mate we get in the USA falls inbetween greentea and coffee.
Be brave, drink Yaupon.
Many more plants to harvest than were pruned. As the tall pines in the forest succumb to pine beetles, more light filters down to the understory yaupon hollies, and the main shoots rapidly reach upward.. Some of the best leaves can be harvested from the the tops of these young yaupon whose primary trunks are sparse of leave, yet slender enough to be pliant and bent back down to the earth. Relieve these medium plants of spanish moss and vines whilst you prune them. New upward shoots will out number the older primary shoots as the plants recover from injury.
You can harvest the outer bark from these primary shoots before they are dried (harder to peel afterwards). Bark adds some cinnamon or cinnamaldehydic flavors to the brew. Fresh shoot stems are often colored dark purple, and in others, bright green. Why, dunno??? Save the tender dark purple stems after drying as they can be added into the decoction boil for extra flavors.
Older yaupon with thick trunks reaching 20-30 feet into the air are harder bend to the ground to harvest, but a pruning of the primary trunk will not kill the plant, and many shoots will result - but the pruned yaupon will not look like the natural undisturbed specimens for many years afterwards.
Usually I harvest after large downpours which wash leaf tops - but still have to screen the dried goods for curled leaves which nest insect larvae cocoons, and other contaminants: spanish moss, greenbriar vine tendrils, etc... Else, hand rinse them in a tub of water, and shake dry.
Later than January harvests run into problems of smut and pine pollen, plus older leaves of some plants begin to yellow, but new shoots with purple stems are still sprouting from many plants, especially those receiving most sunlight.
This year our first real hard frost fell on Ground Hog's Day, Feb 2, 2013. Frosts down here don't really bother the Yaupon - but they must have their temperature limits as it is a plant which prefers the coastal lowlands.
Soon the male Yaupon will begin to bloom, and these numerous flower sprouts, which outnumber the females about 10:1, are good to harvest in lieu of the fresh leaves which emerge in the next month. Male flowers will add yet another flavor into the harvested and dried plant product profile.
Winter crops of Southern citrus excel. All sorts of citrus juices enhance the flavors of yaupon holly beverages. Particularly I enjoy the calmondin juices (about one fruit per cup). This year I lucked upon a crop of kumquats (use about three per cup) . The calmondin is the best though - very tart, juicy and rich in Vit C.