Tea in Bisbee

We found tea in Bisbee!

The thought of tea rooms might seem foreign in a place like the desert southwest, but tea is a beverage that can be consumed and enjoyed wherever you go. But, sometimes it takes a bit of work to find places that distribute or serve quality teas. That makes the search all the more interesting.

Houses built on Bisbee hillsides.

Bisbee, Arizona is a small town of a few more than 6,000 people and it's located in southeast Arizona, not far from the Mexican border. It was founded in 1880 as a mining town. Copper, gold, and silver were largely mined there, with by-products like turquoise, cuprite, aragonite, wulfenite, malachite, azurite, and galena being found as well. The town was named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee who was one of the financial backers of the famous Copper Queen Mine. The town is built on hills, with layer upon layer of houses and buildings gracing all levels of the community. Long sets of stairs are used in many places to reach houses on the higher levels. It seems like Main Street is the only level place in town.

Grandpa walking on Main Street

Main Street winds one-way through town, with Clawson Avenue running back the other way. It's a fun loop to walk, as the buildings are old and quaint. The mines are now closed, although tourists are now taken deep into a mountain that contains the Copper Queen Mine. Each guest is given a hard hat, a miner's headlamp and a yellow slicker before they are set aside small rail carts that go 1,500 feet into the mine. Tour guides are former employees of the now-closed Phelps Dodge Company who owned the mine. It's all very authentic and exciting, especially when the tour guide has everyone turn off their headlamps and you see how dark it really is underground!

Narrow streets and many tourists make walking single-file necessary.

Now days, Bisbee is a haven for artisans and retired folk. It was once named quirkiest city in American, a title that I believe is well deserved. Quaint shops with interesting things to see line the streets. Antique stores, art galleries, small cafes, used bookstores, museums, and quirky clothing stores can be found. Beads, gauze and tie-dye, and flashy cowboy boots all meld together into a fashion-sense that seems completely normal there. Away from the shops of town, beautiful old hotels and homes can be seen and appreciated.

Quaint and pretty southwestern tea shop.

It was along Main Street that Divine Teas & Novelties was found. Proprietor Lilith claims to have the only blending tea store in the state. She creates blends with organic teas and medicinal ingredients. Lined behind the counter are gallon jars filled with these delightful blends of black, green, white, herbal, chai, rooibos, and medicinal teas and tisanes. A spicy fragrance fills the air and customers are allowed to breath deeply of the ingredients in the jars of tea they are most interested in. 

The door is open and invites everyone inside.

Unfortunately, a cup of tea could not be purchased in the shop, as the only teas and tisanes sold were by the scoop, then bagged to be brewed at home.

Tea ware, both old and new.

The novelties were mostly tea related accoutrements, teacups, and teapots. Some were antique and others were new.

The Copper Queen Hotel

A cup of hot water and a tea bag could be found in the restaurant at the famed Copper Queen Hotel. 

Main Street winds through Bisbee.

Our tea picnic.

Or, in enjoyed in the back of our pick-up where thermos' of hot, brewed and decanted tea were enjoyed with our picnic lunch. If you ever have a chance to visit Bisbee, be sure to allow enough time to explore this wonderful little gem!

It was a pleasant day in a pretty town.

Seeking Tea in Tombstone

Grandpa in Tombstone

It's always pleasant to visit friends and family. And it becomes even more fun for me when I have the opportunity to search for tea! Grandpa spends several months of each year in Arizona and invited us to come and be his guests. It was an enjoyable experience and we visited several interesting sites nearby. Today I'm sharing about a stop in Tombstone. Have you ever been there? It is one of my favorite places. While most are interested in the story of gunfights and the wild west, I have enjoyed seeking out little things that interest me, like a museum of historical costumes and clothing, the local guild quilt museum, finding places that sell sarsaparilla so I can bring it home to the (now adult) kids, and browsing the antique shops. Pioneer life and the wild west interests me so.

Tour guide at Bird Cage Theater

Our first stop was at the Bird Cage Theater. A tour guide beckons tourists in from the door and once a crowd has gathered, explains the history of this historic theater. She names famous people who have been guests there in a list that is a mile long! And many of the names are those that are familiar from history books. This small, but interesting theater was opened in 1881 and was named for the fourteen "boxes" that were placed on two balconies on either side of the main central hall. Although there was a stage and an orchestra pit, the theater is best known for its gambling and the ladies of the night who entertained there. It really was a fairly unsavory place, although now it's interesting to visit and see the historical items on display. It's said that the longest card game ever took place in this location, lasting eight years, five months, and three days. The New York Times, in 1882, declared that "this theater was the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast". More than 120 bullet holes can be seen throughout the building, and our tour guide was quick to point out several right there in the lobby. But let's move along, shall we?

Stagecoaches steal the show on Main Street

Tombstone was founded in 1879 and is in the southeastern part of Arizona. It was a silver mining town and grew from one hundred people to 14,000 in a few short years. It was a bustling little town! By 1881 it had not only a bowling alley, four churches, a school, two banks, three newspapers, and an ice house --- it also had 110 saloons and 14 gambling halls as well as numerous dancing halls and brothels. There was nothing quiet, nor proper about Tombstone!

Common attire of the day!

Tombstone is famous for the shoot-out at O.K. Corral. It is an event that is re-enacted daily.  A deadly conflict between a gang who stole cattle from ranchers and law enforcement has given Tombstone a place in history. The Earp brothers all assumed roles as lawmen and ended up in a confrontation with the Cowboy gang. Wyatt is probably the most famous of the Earp brothers. Interwoven into the history of the area is a love affair between Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate. If you see her picture, you can tell she was aptly named! An interesting and generally unknown fact is that Doc Holliday was a cousin by marriage to Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. The longer one spends researching the history of a place like Tombstone, the more connections can be made with other famous Americans of the day.

Crystal Palace Saloon

Of the 110 saloons in Tombstone, the Crystal Palace Saloon and Big Nose Kate's Saloon are probably two of the most famous. Both are still a part of the Tombstone scene, open daily and frequented by dozens of curious tourists who visit there. The ambiance and decor of each of them is much the same as it was in the late 1880's. Authenticity reigns in Tombstone.

Cowboy Garb

In the present time, Tombstone holds connections that tie our family together with memories. A cousin of eight years old visited the town on a girls trip with me and my mom and mother-in-law. A few years later, she was married in true western style at a Tombstone church. And an interesting man we knew from a church nearby played an authentic role as an actor in scenes from the town's history. Trips with our kids to this western community have proven fun over the years. Lessons in history are much more easily learned with such colorful object lessons.

Wooden boardwalks line Main Street

But, where does the tea come in? As we walked along Main Street, I was surprised to see a small little shop at the entrance to a shooting gallery. Inside was a friendly woman who was dressed in frontier garb. Teapots and baked goods were displayed at the back of her small eating establishment. Could it be? Would it be possible to have tea in Tombstone? Yes! And she was happy to share about her experience.

Opening day of Buns & Guns

It just happened to be the opening of her very first day in her quaint little cafe and bakery. She'd earned her way, carefully dressing with authenticity and baking homemade treats in a rented space in a commercial kitchen. For two years she was a walking bakery, carrying baskets of her home-baked goodies up and down the boardwalks, selling them to passers-by. A city committee oversees each business, making sure they meet the standards of authenticity that they require as part of the historic portions of their town. She worked carefully to meet the requirements and after her years of hard work, she was finally able to rent a space where she could open her store-front cafe. She told me that she was the first bakery in 100 years in Tombstone.

Favorite teapot

Buns & Guns

I admire her hard work and enthusiasm for her tasks! And I hope that the next time I am privileged to visit Tombstone, that she is still there and that her business is thriving! It's wonderful that a cup of tea can now be found in Tombstone!

The soda bar

I've shared pictures from the bar at a Tombstone saloon, and a bakery bar that serves tea just down the street. It's only right that I share one last bar before the tour of Tombstone is over. Down at the end of the street the soda bar was filled with kids, enjoying sodas and ice cream. It appears that Tombstone has something for every one's taste! If you ever have a chance to visit Tombstone, I recommend it. And be sure to take time to go off the beat and track. Sometimes the best places are those that are not the most touristy places, but rather the nooks and little places along the way. Explore and enjoy!

Tea with Someone So Dear

Time.

Moments with someone

you hold dear.

An luncheon tea.

Delicious and wholesome.

Beatrix Potter china

fills our heads with visions

of Peter Rabbit's adventures.

Time spent in conversation.

Old letters, cookbooks, family treasures.

Mugs of hot tea.

Choosing cups from a collection

of many. Oatcakes and

Hedgehog Tipsy Cake.

A Marmalady tea cozy

keeps the tea in the pot

at just the right temperature.

Floating leaves.

Perfection!

A cherished time

with someone so dear.

A blessing!

Afternoon tea.

Thank you, dear aunt.

It's Hot Tea Month

January is National Hot Tea Month, and of course a post in its honor is in order. Named thus by the Tea Association of the USA, its purpose is to promote the value of a hot cup of tea. The claimed health benefits of tea are many, ranging from an increased immune response to the reduction of heart disease and cancer. To research the benefits of this herb, check out the Tea Association website.

Seeking to draw attention to this designated month, my mind skipped through a variety of things I could write about. Teapots, teacups, gawan porcelain bowls, and three-tiered trays all came to mind. But finding the obscure or unusual to celebrate this cozy past-time seemed important. 

I decided to share with readers about a very interesting and out-of-the-way place in Death Valley, California. Located twenty miles from Ubehebe Crater, eighteen miles from Hunter Mountain, and six miles from Racetrack on a remote and rugged road is a junction named Teakettle. A hundred years ago, miners in search of wealth and adventure would pass this way and mark the junction by placing a teakettle in it's spot. First one, then more teakettles have been added until it's become quite famous as a place to leave one's mark by adding a teakettle of one's own to the stash. Visitors leave a teakettle, signed and dated for others to see at this remote junction. It appears that teakettles serve a serious place in American history, even in remote desert places! If you decide to add a teakettle of your own, be sure to take a spare tire or two with you. The road is very rough and scattered with sharp and jagged rocks! A Death Valley mule might be a better, albeit slower mode of transportation! 

A visit to this historic spot allows the imagination to travel back in time, wondering who passed this way before and what type of delicious hot tea they served around a campfire and with whom it was shared.

Happy National Hot Tea Month!

Christmas Tea Poem

Christmas Tea Poem 

On Christmas Day, at half past three,

brew yourself a cup of tea.

I'll think of you and you'll think of me.

While sitting around your Christmas tree.

Mulled Tea Bag

Mulled Tea Bag

• 2 1/2 tsp. loose tea leaves
• 1 tsp. coarsely crushed cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp. dried orange peel
• 1/4 tsp. dried lemon peel
• 3 whole allspice berries
• 2 whole cloves
• 5-inch square of fine-mesh cheesecloth
• Cotton string

Blend together tea leaves, cinnamon pieces, lemon and orange peel, allspice, and cloves. Place in a cheesecloth square. Tie with a string to form a bag. 

To brew tea, place the bag in a mug and add boiling water. Steep for 4 - 5 minutes and enjoy.

Serves 1

Candy Cane Lane in a Cup

It's the week of Christmas! The tree is decorated, the groceries are bought, and the presents are wrapped. How are things at your house? Is the tea kettle on? Do you have a moment to sit and savor the season with a nice hot cup of Candy Cane Lane tisane? It is enjoyed by so many as a favorite this time of year. Thank you, Celestial Seasonings. 

A Cup of Tea

A Cup of Tea

When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance,

There is solace in its' taste;

And laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!

There's beauty as you'll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup of tea.

Author Unknown

~

Teacup and saucer: Old Country Roses, Peppermint Damask

2002 Royal Albert, Ltd.

Cranberry Tea

 

Cranberry tea is tart and such a great morning wake up call! Not only does it attract the attention of your taste buds, but the health benefits of cranberry abound. Cranberry contains multiple vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. The nutrients cranberry contains are especially helpful in protecting you against heart disease and cancer. Additionally, the acids and other components in cranberry juice are helpful in treating or preventing urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and peptic ulcers. It also helps prevent the formation of oral bacteria that can lead to gum diseases and plaque. It is a great natural defense for the body!

Taken alone, cranberry juice can sometimes be difficult to take in any quantity, so it can be helpful to mix it with other tasty ingredients to make it go down just a bit better. What better ingredient to pair with cranberry juice than tea! Try this recipe and see what you think!

Cranberry Tea

• 1 quart brewed tea of choice
• 4 cloves, whole
• 4 cardamom seeds
• cinnamon to taste
• 1 tsp. stevia
• 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice

While brewed tea is hot, add cloves, cardamom seeds, and cinnamon. Then add stevia. Stir. Allow tea to cool to room temperature. Then strain.  Add cranberry juice and orange juice. Warm to a comfortable drinking temperature (do not boil). Serve and enjoy! For garnish, add 2 or 3 cranberries to each cup. They will look beautiful as they float.

*More stevia can be added for a sweeter tea.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 3 cups carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup oil
• 1/4 cup cranberries, dried OR craisins
• 3 egg substitutions*

Mix together using a Kitchen Aid or hand mixer. When well blended, pour into an oiled and floured pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

*Powdered egg replacer, flax gel slurry, or gar/fava slurry - OR - use eggs.

Delicious with a cup of YOUR favorite tea.
*This recipe gets rave reviews; people won't even know it is gluten-free or vegan. Nice and moist. Make into cupcakes and decorate with a theme you like.

The Tea Kettle Sings

When the tea kettle sings with happiness...

...that is home.

*Appreciating the tea kettle and stovetop at our local grange.

Pumpkin Butter

Do you enjoy toast and tea? This delicious topping is perfect for toast, pancakes, or waffles. 

It is a great source of Vitamin A and the flavor is enhanced by the sweetness of apple cider and spices.


Pumpkin Butter

• 
  
• 1 - 29 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup apple juice or cider
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 and 1/2 cups white sugar*
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.

Spoon hot pumpkin mixture into hot jars. Cover and refrigerate until used. 

Makes five 8 oz jars.

*Natural sweeteners may be used such as: date sugar, agave syrup, Sucanat, etc.

(USDA does not recommend canning pumpkin butter)