Chamomile Flowers
Tiny dried flowers that steep into a pale golden tea with a soft, apple-like sweetness. The most classic wind-down drink there is, and one of the easiest things you can make from scratch.
What It Is
These are whole German chamomile flowers, the variety long favored for tea. German chamomile is a small daisy-like plant native to Europe and western Asia, and the flowers are harvested at peak bloom and dried. The scent is distinctly honeyed and faintly fruity, closer to fresh apple than to a typical floral.
Chamomile has been taken as a simple hot tea for centuries across Europe and the Middle East, traditionally before bed. The flavor is mild and gentle, which is exactly why it blends so well with other herbs and why it has stayed in kitchens and pantries for so long.
What To Do
For tea, use about one heaping tablespoon of flowers per cup. Pour water that has just come off a boil, wait thirty seconds, then pour over the flowers. Steep three to five minutes and strain. Longer steeping pulls a little bitterness, so taste as you go. A spoon of honey fits naturally here.
Chamomile does more than tea. Steep it in warm milk of choice for a simple nighttime drink. Add it to a homemade shortbread or sugar cookie dough. Use it to flavor simple syrup for lemonade or cocktails. Store the dried flowers in a sealed container away from light and heat, and they will hold their fragrance for a good year.
