This is a textbook of tea growing, with really comprehensive information on everything related to tea -- it's history, how to grow it, all the varieties grown around the world, how to process it, etc. It is not an option where I live and I honestly could never put in the amount of effort it would take to properly grow and process tea, but if you are wanting to really learn how to do it commercially, this will be a fantastic guide.

This only covers "real" tea, incidentally, not the plants we use for what we call tea like mint, elderflowers, raspberry leaf, red clover, nettles, etc. I actually do grow quite a lot of those (and forage them). They are much more my (sorry) cup of tea. :) This is a truly great guide for those who want to grow the traditional tea plants (camelias) and process the leaves for sale.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Grow Your Own Tea by Christine Parks; Susan M. Walcott The Complete Guide to Cultivating, Harvesting, and Preparing
I was thrilled to find this book available to read and review! I LOVE tea and have made my own simple tea with my variety of mint plants, rose petals, and lemon verbena. In GROW YOUR OWN TEA, there is information on the origins and types of tea. Imagine my surprise when I read there is a tea grower in Fairhope, Alabama, not too far from where I live. One of the important chapters in this book is about deciding how much and what type of tea you want to grow. Since I plan to grow mine in large patio containers, the information about the soil is key! If I were younger, I would grow a variety of tea plants in a garden environment. I learned about rolling the tea leaves and the correct way to dry for storage. Thank you for the recipes and I really like the idea of making a tea infused jelly!
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Grow Your Own Tea by Christine Parks & Susan M. Walcott. This is a complete guide to cultivating, harvesting and preparing tea. There is a general history of tea as well as an overview of the types. Growing up in South Carolina, I already knew of the tea grown on Wadmalaw Island, just south of my hometown of Charleston. There are also details of tea being grown in Alabama, California, Hawaii, Mississippi, Oregon, and Virginia. The book covers the basics of the tea plant itself and common varieties, and then moves to extensively cover planting and care. Personally, I love the detail. The words are precise, and the pictures enhance the instructions. Charts like “season-by-season tasks” are extremely helpful. And the section detailing how to pick, process, and prepare the various forms of tea is an excellent resource. This book seems to cover every topic. The book concludes with an excellent summary of resources and references. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already order fve plants from Parks’ nursery.

A more detailed blog about this book can be found at https://patch405.com/2020/02/27/serendipity/

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.