IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER
In the bleak
midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter
by Christina Rossetti
It’s February and it’s cold. In the Larkin household that means it soup weather.
A warm bowl of soup always tastes nourishing, especially on a cold winter day. Add tea to the broth, and the soup is even more beneficial.
What are the advantages of cooking with tea? Well, tea is packed with antioxidants (that get rid of potentially harmful, oxidizing substances in your body) and polyphenols (which work to fight against inflammation), so not only are you getting great flavor with the tea, but you’re also getting very tangible health benefits that you could add into your daily routine.
If you don’t really like green tea, this might become your favorite way to “drink” it. The flavor that green tea adds to soup is very subtle, a little herbal, with just a hint of the astringency that tea is known for. Otherwise, it’s still the familiar, savory bowl of soup you love.
We have posted three very different “tea” soup recipes at https://larkintea.com/recipes/soups-made-with-tea/.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 IS WEAR RED DAY
Every year the first Friday of February has been dedicated as National Wear Red Day, an awareness day for American women to understand their number one health threat - heart disease. The day encourages women to know their blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels, as well as their body mass index (BMI) to better understand their health risk for heart disease.
Drinking tea on a regular basis may also protect against degenerative and other cardiovascular diseases.
Tea contains a host of antioxidant compounds, specifically epicatechins and catechins that can benefit ones health. Both belong to the flavonoid’s family, a group of plant chemicals known for their anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent or reduce plaque formation in the coronary arteries.
Green tea, for example, is an excellent source to lower cholesterol levels – both LDL and serum cholesterol, based on a published study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011). But for the biggest bad cholesterol level drop, most sources suggest drinking up to five cups daily.
Black tea has lower amounts of flavonoids than green tea, but both have lower levels of caffeine versus coffee. For example, a standard eight-ounce cup only contains up to 45 milligrams caffeine as compared to almost double its amount in the same coffee cup size.
Eating healthy foods can help you reduce your risk of more heart diseases as well as recovery from a heart attack.
Drinking three cups daily is one of the best things you can do to take care of your heart and keep it away from cardiac diseases. Your heart will thank you for it.
Love your heart, drink tea, and reduce your risk of heart attacks. Make it your “daily tea” habit starting today!
Eating healthy foods can help you reduce your risk of more heart diseases as well as recovery from a heart attack.
Drinking three cups daily is one of the best things you can do to take care of your heart and keep it away from cardiac diseases. Your heart will thank you for it.
Love your heart, drink tea, and reduce your risk of heart attacks. Make it your “daily tea” habit starting today!
THE LARKIN TEA SOCIETY
For years, people have asked us to organize trips to different tea rooms and we’re finally doing just that.
February sees the launch of the Larkin Tea “Society” which is for people of all generations who would like to take an occasional break from today’s hectic high-tech world and return to the basics of good company, tea, food, and conversation. No memberships. No rules.
The first outing will be to Dollies Tea Room in Clear Spring, Maryland on Thursday, February 27 for their 2:00 p.m. sitting. Price: $27 inclusive. Pre-paid Reservations Only.
Seating Limited to 32 people. Carpooling available from Martinsburg, WV. For more information and to make reservations call: 304-707-0142 or email Judy@larkintea.com
Deadline for reservations: Wednesday, February 11, 2020.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
We are currently selling eighty different types of tea. Some are extremely popular…. others not so much. We are polling our customers to discover if there are any particular teas you would like us to add to our offerings.
Send your suggestions to: Judy@larkintea.com