[Image description: the tubular red flowers of Monarda didyma begin to emerge from the flower head]
Let me tell you all how much I love this plant -
The red variety, Monarda didyma, attracts absolute droves of hummingbirds to our gardens, but the native purple flowered variety M. fistulosa does a fair amount of feeding their population as well. We also get scads of hummingbird sphinx moths, which are absolutely powerhouse pollinators.
We harvest leaves for drying and using as a native replacement for oregano flavor in recipes, but they also make a lovely tea. I like to blend them with lemon balm, apple leaves, or raspberry leaves in teas. Additionally, a blend of bergamot and New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) make a tea that's incredibly similar to an earl gray blend.
We also harvest flowers specifically for teas, as a number of First Nations peoples in our region would use the flowers to make tea for "dispirited hearts". We don't generally begin harvesting flowers until the first set has passed (for the pollinators), but anyone else growing this plant can encourage additional flowering by cutting the stem just above any node where two sets of leaves emerge on either side.
Thank you for reminding me this plant is edible. I've always wanted to try it as a tea and I've got a very healthy patch of it this year!
Doooo iiiiit.
I don't tend to wilt the flowers in the sun, I pick fresh and dry almost immediately about halfway through the morning.