I love my little farm but stocking up on mountain tea (Τσαι του βουνού) in the dead of winter has been a sweet way to keep the sunshine on me when it’s cold outside. The homey, sagey scent is an instant comfort.
I didn’t know that this plant was sometimes known as ironwort. I successfully sprouted a few seeds of it when I lived in the mountainous chaparral in California, but lush Missouri will probably be too much for this high elevation herb. There’s all kinds of folklore and ritual around mountain tea; for me, it just makes me feel like I’m home, wherever I am.