Stop and See the Flowers

When you think about tea, it is easy to forget that it is actually a camellia. During our recent trip to South Carolina, we were able to see a few early flowers on the bushes at the Charleston Tea Plantation. They were small white blooms (see the thumb in the picture for scale).

There were tons of buds (you can see them in the foliage behind the flower in this pic), and the tour guide on the trolley told us that the best time to see the flowers is in November, when butterflies descend on the plants.

Tea obsessed and have nothing to do next weekend? I say ROAD TRIP! The only active commercial tea farm in the United States, the Charlston Tea Plantation, is hosting its annual First Flush Festival on May 16. (In case you're wondering, the plantation is owned by Bigelow Tea). They're promising music, food, fun and games . . . and a chance to see how tea is produced.

Interesting, that there is only the one "local" plantation (and a small tea-growing collection of farms in Hawaii), given that tea consumption is going wild. There were other attempts at getting tea to grow stateside, dating back to the colonial times. The British were trying to establish domestic tea in the colonies as early as 1744. A number of failed attempts were made to establish the plants in both Georgia and South Carolina. Early German settlers to Texas also had a try at it. Over time, though, tea drinking faded from popularity. Now that it is back . . . who knows?

Photo courtesty Stock Xchng