The Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is now in bloom throughout the orchards. It’s time to harvest it for its healthful, but bitter, winter tea. Or maybe I should say, healthful and bitter tea. As all cider-lovers know, “It’s always OK to be bitter.” Or “Bitter is better.” We snip off the plants just above the ground, dry them in bunches and then strip off the frilly leaves and flower-heads for tea.

We use the wild, native, white-flowered yarrow for tea. The colorful pinks and reds are selections that don’t show up on their own. Or, at least I didn’t think so until a couple days ago when a pink-flowering yarrow showed up in row 7 in Finley Lane beneath the Malus sikkimensis tree. I’m positive we didn’t plant it. Maybe we’ve found a new yarrow cultivar: “Super Chilly” !