When Paul Massey first arrived on Kaua‘i back in 1998, he assumed hibiscus tea came from the hibiscus flower. The tea, quite popular, is actually made with the fruit of a particular kind of hibiscus, the Hibiscus sabdariffa, better known
When Paul Massey first arrived on Kaua‘i back in 1998, he assumed hibiscus tea came from the hibiscus flower.
The tea, quite popular, is actually made with the fruit of a particular kind of hibiscus, the Hibiscus sabdariffa, better known as roselle.
The tea is made by removing the fleshy calyx from the fruit, whichis slightly smaller than a golf ball, and pouring hot water over it. Let it steep for about five minutes, and pronto! You’ve got tea.
The result is a delicious tea with a beautiful electric red color. It can be served hot or cold. You can even get creative by adding other spices or lemon. But don’t add milk — it will curdle.
Paul said the roselle is quite easy to grow. They key is when to plant it. The seeds must be put on the ground during spring, since the roselle grows well during the summer. Fall is harvest time.
Paul got his first seeds from Robin Torquati, owner of Heaven on Earth, a company that sells organic starts. Today the roselle is grown by Paul and a select group of friends.
Paul spends most of his time running Regenerations Seed Garden, making Kaua‘i greener. But he does have some free time now and then, which he spends with his sweetheart Jill Richardson and his sweet dog ‘Ela.
If you think you want to start a garden of your own, this is the time. In the first weekend of November, Paul will teach a two-day hands-on workshop on seed saving and production.
The workshop is not free, but you get to drink the red hibiscus tea and walk away with a bag of roselle seeds. Sweet!
Visit www.ribg.org or call 652-4118 for more information on the workshop.
