Uses for Expired Tea

It was cold and snowy here at the Gardens yesterday.  The perfect weather to read a book close to the wood stove with a good cup of hot tea.  I reached into my cabinet and pulled out a tea bag, anticipating the flavorful warm liquid.  I settled in and took the first sip.  The taste was not what I anticipated.  A quick look at the box revealed the tea had expired in 2016.  Sigh.

Obviously it was time to clean out the cabinet, sorting the good from the bad.  Tea actually keeps for quite some time, however, the flavor deteriorates and can develop a nasty taste (like the tea I had just made).  Time to do a little taste testing.  I steeped tea from each box and the ones that no longer retained their wonderful flavor went into one of the canning jars shown above.

Why bother keeping the tea?  Even though tea may no longer be drinkable, it makes a good fertilizer and deodorizer.  Fortunately, plants that love rich acidic soil don't mind stale tea and will appreciate a "spot of tea" every once in a while.  These same plants won't mind a tea bag or two dropped into the bottom of a pot before adding soil to provide additional nutrients.  Loose tea leaves added to the soil provide nutrients as well.

Tea absorbs odors much like baking soda making it a good deodorizer.  Put a couple of tea bags in those not so pleasant smelling running shoes, sprinkle loose tea on the carpet, place a couple of bags in the refrigerator, or make a car air freshener.  I like to add a tea bag and some baking soda to the vacuum cleaner bag to keep the bag smelling fresh.

My tea shelf is now organized, one side for a "spot of tea" on a cold winter day, and the other for fertilizing and deodorizing.  Do you have any other uses for stale tea?  If you do, share in a comment below.