This past week, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori /Maori Language Week, kawakawa's had boiling water poured over it up and down Aotearoa. Kawakawa's been used over the years for kidney and stomach problems, stings and cuts and wounds and nettle stings, cramping, bloating, constipation. There seems nothing that 10 good kawa kawa leaves can't do to improve your health. The teas we buy, of course, contain micronutrients, magnesium and zinc and useful bioactive compounds, but can we just shop straight from our gardens for tea? Or even from the gaps between our paving stones?
Christchurch's Joanna Wildish knows all about making tea from plants we may usually ignore or even shun. Joanna founded the Ōtautahi Urban Foraging group, it has a very lively and useful Facebook page where people exchange tips on all manner of topics, with recipes as well for foods we can foraged for.
Photo: supplied
