SASKATCHEWAN FEATURE: Boreal Heartland Teas
FAVOURITE CANADIAN THINGS:
Incredible and delicious Teas from Boreal Heartland!
At Boreal Heartland, our focus is to create income opportunities for northern Saskatchewan Indigenous people through sustainable use of boreal plants. We are governed by our Board of Indigenous, northern Saskatchewan people. Our harvest is guided by an Advisory Committee which provides traditional perspectives on our relationship with the land. We are guided by the goals of sustainability and respect for Indigenous traditions. To help us meet them we have developed harvester training and practice ongoing care for the environment. These actions ensure that the non-timber forest products we harvest will be available for generations to come.
Because we are a northern Saskatchewan based company, we can easily connect with local Indigenous harvesters. We are proud that well over 90% of our harvesters are local Indigenous people. The result of our steadfast care and intention at every level is our collection of unique, forest fresh products, steeped in goodness and infused with Canadian flavour. Growing from initial product development, we now offer our signature line of beverages, fresh and dried chanterelle mushrooms, herbal ingredients to distillers and brewers, and bulk herbs to international buyers. Our co-branding partnership with Federated Co-ops Limited has also become an important part of our business and we continue to focus on new opportunities. Boreal Heartland is an initiative of Keewatin Community Development Association, a longstanding, northern, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting career, education, business, and economic development in the northern Saskatchewan region.
Available teas: Relaxation Tea, Restoration Tea, Energization Tea, and Labrador Tea (All are caffein free. For pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, Labrador and Relaxation is not recommended)
We are proud to offer these Boreal Heartland Teas on Shoplift. They will be available all week until Friday, February 12 and will be out for delivery by the end of February!
For more detailed information about each tea and the Boreal Forest, please see below!
Restoration Blend:
Fireweed and Wild Mint Blend: 30 g / 1.06 oz Package
A delicious blend of fermented fireweed and wild mint A delicious blend of fermented fireweed and wild mint, hand picked in the Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness. Caffeine free, it eases indigestion and coughs. The tea is high in vitamins A and C, and is good for the kidneys and male prostate. Our best selling blend, this is a dark savory tea, with a fresh minty aroma and full bodied taste. The amber liquor is lightly bitter with herbaceous flavour notes of cucumber, seaweed, moss and gentle mint. Fireweed and wild mint are both traditionally used by Canadian First Nation peoples for their health benefits. Fireweed is high in vitamin C, great for stomach ailments, urinary tract problems and benign enlarged prostate. Wild mint is the more delicate cousin of peppermint and is great for digestion and opening stuffy nasal passages.
Relaxation Blend:
Labrador Tea, Goldenrod, Nettle: 30g / 1.06 oz Package
Let this tea help you relax after a busy day A delicious blend of Labrador tea, goldenrod, and nettle – perfect for a bedtime tea. All 3 plants in the blend have numerous health benefits, and will help relax you after a busy and stressful day. Caffeine free, the Relaxation Blend is hand-picked in the Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness. This infusion brews bright yellow. The aroma and flavour are reminiscent of chrysanthemum blossoms and morning meadow grass, with moments of honey and sage. Notes of pine linger on the nose. Caffeine free, these wild herbs help calm frayed nerves and allow your mind to rest. Goldenrod is anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and reduces anxiety. High in nutrients, nettle is good for fighting colds and flu, and reduces sleep problems and stress. Labrador tea is used to treat type 2 Diabetes and for insomnia.
Energization Blend:
Wild Sarsaparilla Root, Rosehip, Bearberry, and Birch Leaf: 30 g / 1.06 oz Package
Use this tea for a gentle boost instead of harsh caffeine A delicious blend accented by the root beer flavour of wild sarsaparilla, this tea will give you an energy boost and is great either hot or iced. The Woodland Cree call sarsaparilla rabbit root, and it is rumored to awaken certain urges, especially in males. All ingredients are foraged from the Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness. The aroma is a combination of spruce wood and dried ginseng and the liquor is a cloudy sunny yellow. The blend infuses with jammy notes from the rose hip, and has a savory, dry bitter mouth feel with hints of liquorice root, roasted cauliflower and dandelion. Caffeine free. Indigenous people used these herbs to provide stamina during extended hunting excursions. Rose hips are great for energy and high in vitamin C while Birch is anti-inflammatory and good for those with high cholesterol. Bearberry helps with bladder function. Wild Sarsaparilla is from the ginseng family and is medicinally similar. It acts as a stimulant, providing energy and has proven effective against colon cancer and leukemia cells in laboratory tests.
Labrador Tea:
30g / 1.06 oz Package: The traditional tea of Northern Canada
Known to many as Muskeg Tea, this tea is enjoyed around campfires throughout the north. Many people use this tea when they have a cough or cold. Ours is hand-picked in the Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness. This tea steeps with an abundance of flavour and aroma. The herbs' smell is reminiscent of dry cedar and fresh pine, with notes of spice and mild eucalyptus. The flavour is like sweet green pine, finishes with notes of white tea, and has a light honey mouth-feel. The liquor has a clear golden honey hue with small sediment from the natural leaf fuzz. Caffeine free, wild picked, Labrador tea is a traditional drink of First Nations. It was traditionally used for early treatment of coughs and colds, or just enjoyed around the campfire. It is high in vitamin C and has analgesic properties.
More about the Boreal Forest:
The Boreal Forest is considered to be a wonder of the natural world, spanning a great deal of the northern hemisphere. The world’s Boreal Forest is 1.9 billion hectares, covers 14% of the earth’s surface, and makes up 33% of earth’s forested land. Canada has 28% of the world’s boreal zone. North America’s Boreal Forest covers an astonishing 1.5 billion acres, most of which is undeveloped and inaccessible by road, which means the plants we harvest are organic - untouched by herbicides or pesticides. Approximately 80% of Indigenous people in Canada live in forested areas and mostly in the Boreal in remote, rural communities. At Boreal Heartland, we are working to build the local economy by creating a solid economic foundation for these small Indigenous communities.