The other day daddy and me went out kayaking and searching for some chaga mushroom. I guess our cottage is in the perfect place for such a hobby, as on our two hour trip we found enough to supply us for probably the upcoming two years haha! We even left some trees untouched, hoping for the chaga mushroom to grow and be there when we come back for more. Unless someone else round these hoods goes out for a chaga hunt, too!
Two bags full of chaga! And then it was time to make the first own chaga tea from beginning to end.
How did I do it?
1. Go search for chaga. It is easy to recognize and grows mostly in birches, as seen on the picture above.
2. Kick or use a hammer, or whatever, to get the chaga off the tree. Take it all! But do not harm the tree during your kicking and smashing process.
4. You can either dry the chaga or start making tea from it immediately. Depending on preferences. If you have a lot of chaga, it is recommendable to dry it (at least the part you wont be using straight away) as otherwise it might start molding.
Drying the chaga mushroom can be done in the oven, in sunlight, in the sauna, wherever. The drying time depends on size of the chaga. The quicker, the smaller you piece it to.
I hammered it into pieces like these.
Some of the hammered pieces were kept at their size, but some I blended into smaller coffee like grit.
5. Boil water and put some chaga mushroom in! Either powder or bigger pieces, whatever you prefer. A piece can be used many times (as long as the black/brown color detaches). I have used the same powder a few times, too. Dosage depends on how strong tea you want but 1 liter of water and two to three teaspoonfulls of chaga should work out good, or one bigger chaga piece. Let the mixture boil and be for around 30min.
6. Enjoy! Drink either hot or cold. I like adding a bit of manuka honey to soften the taste.
Anyone else got tips for chaga usage? What else than tea?
xoxo
Linda
