🌿 Growing With Purpose: Preparing Mullein for Tea & Balm — Year-Round, Indoors

FIFE – Food Is For Everyone • As We Grow With Purpose

🌱 Growing Indoors All Year

We are currently growing four mullein plants right here inside our apartment. This allows us to harvest fresh leaves throughout the year, regardless of the season or weather.

Mullein is a slow, steady grower, so we harvest responsibly:

• Only the larger leaves are taken

• The plant is left to continue producing new growth

• This method keeps the plants strong and productive

Over time, this gives us a continuous supply of mullein leaves for tea and balm.

🌿 Harvesting for Wellness

Each harvest adds to a growing pile of leaves. Once enough have been collected, the preparation begins.

We start by:

• Inspecting the leaves

• Cleaning if needed

• Removing any damaged sections

This ensures we only preserve the best material for wellness use.

✂️ Preparing the Leaves

The mullein leaves are then cut into strips or small pieces. Both options work well depending on how we plan to use them.

Cutting the leaves helps:

• Speed up drying

• Ensure even dehydration

• Make storage easier

• Make later processing (tea or oil infusion) simple and efficient

🔥 Dehydrating for Long-Term Storage

The prepared mullein pieces are placed into a dehydrator and slowly dried until crisp. This step is essential for:

• Preserving the plant’s properties

• Preventing mold

• Allowing us to safely store large amounts

• Supporting both tea and balm making

Once fully dried, the leaves are ready for use in multiple forms.

🍵 Tea or Balm — One Process, Two Purposes

Mullein Tea

Dried mullein leaves are perfect for a soothing tea traditionally used for:

• Respiratory comfort

• Coughs and congestion

• Lung support

• Gentle inflammation relief

Simply steep and strain well.

Mullein Balm (Coming Soon)

We will soon begin making our own mullein balm by infusing the dried leaves into a carrier oil.

The finished balm offers topical support for:

• Minor skin irritation

• Inflammation

• Gentle soothing

• Everyday wellness needs

This is one of the next steps in our As We Grow With Purpose series.

💚 Growing With Purpose — For Ourselves & Our Community

Every step of this process reflects our mission:

• FIFE – Food Is For Everyone

• LIFE – Love Is For Everyone

• Sharing wellness options with our community

• Teaching simple ways to grow your own nutrition and remedies

• Providing free plants and education for those most in need

• Reducing suffering through knowledge, compassion, and action

We grow with purpose. We share with love. 🌿💚🦋