Anise Hyssop

You can make your own Giant Hyssop tea. It's easy and fun to do. The leaves and flowers of hyssop contain oils that provide a pleasant licorice (anise) flavour. Plants can be harvested any time during the growth season, but mid-summer, when the flowers are just past full bloom, is the best time. Cut the stalks off at ground level with a sharp knife or shears. Tie bunches of stalks together and hang them upside down, somewhere cool, dry and out of the sun, until the leaves and flowers are brittle. Then strip the leaves and flower parts off the stems and crush them into tiny bits. Placing the leaves into a large plastic bag and crushing them by hand works well. Put the resulting "tea" mix into a sealed container to keep it dry.