VOA: Cultivate Your Own Tea Plant Throughout the Year

People who grow their own food are familiar with planting tomatoes, peppers, squash, herbs, berries and other common fruits and vegetables.

自己种食物的人对种植西红柿、辣椒、南瓜、香草、浆果和其他常见的水果和蔬菜都很熟悉。

However, they may not think of growing plants for drinks.

然而，他们可能不会想到种植植物来制作饮料。

Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently wrote about plants you can grow to make tea. Damiano, who writes for the Associated Press, says that growing your own tea plants in the garden can provide enough leaves and flower buds to keep your tea pot filled year-round.

园艺专家杰西卡·达米亚诺最近写了一篇关于可以种植哪些植物来制作茶的文章。为美联社撰稿的达米亚诺说，在花园里种植自己的茶树可以提供足够的叶子和花蕾，让你一年四季都能喝上茶。

And the plant to grow, she says, is camellia sinensis (var. sinensis), also known as the “tea plant.”

她说，要种植的植物是茶树（变种：茶树），也被称为“茶树”。

These evergreen plants are easy to grow in any amount of sunlight, from deep shade to full sun. However, ideal growing conditions are part sun to light shade. They require well-draining soil with a slightly acidic pH.

这些常绿植物很容易生长在任何光照条件下，从浓荫到充足的阳光。然而，理想的生长条件是部分阳光照射到轻微的阴影。它们需要排水良好、pH值略呈酸性的土壤。

Young plants will take about two years to produce enough leaves for tea. In five years, one plant should provide enough for an average tea drinker. If you need more tea, Damiano says to plant more camellia sinensis.

幼苗大约需要两年时间才能长出足够的叶子来泡茶。五年后，一株植物应该可以为一个普通的饮茶者提供足够的茶叶。如果你需要更多的茶，达米亚诺建议种植更多的茶树。

Camellia sinensis is called the “tea plant” because white, green, black, and oolong teas all come from this plant. Their differences come from harvesting practices and after-harvest treatments.

茶树之所以被称为“茶树”，是因为白茶、绿茶、红茶和乌龙茶都来自这种植物。它们的差异来自于采收方式和采收后的处理方法。

For white tea, pick the flower buds before they fully open. Heat the buds in a pan over low heat, moving them often for about 10 minutes. Cool them and store in an airtight container.

对于白茶，在花蕾完全开放之前采摘。将花蕾放在平底锅中，用小火加热，经常翻动，持续约 10 分钟。冷却后存放在密封容器中。

For green, black and oolong tea, pick two or three of the youngest leaves from each stem, along with the leaf bud from each stem tip. Do this every 10 to 12 days as new growth develops.

对于绿茶、红茶和乌龙茶，从每根茎上采摘两到三片最年轻的叶子，以及每根茎尖上的叶芽。每隔 10 到 12 天，随着新芽的生长，进行一次采摘。

Preparing green, oolong, or black tea all have different processes.

绿茶、乌龙茶或红茶的制作工艺各不相同。

Green tea

绿茶

For making green tea, briefly steam leaves over boiling water. Then put the leaves on a clean towel and let them sit for five minutes. Roll up the leaves in the towel gently to remove extra water. Remove the leaves from the towel, separate them, and place them on a baking sheet. Heat in an oven or toaster oven set to 148 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 to 15 minutes or until the leaves are completely dry. Brew immediately or cool and keep them in an airtight container for future use.

制作绿茶时，将茶叶放在沸水上短暂蒸一下。然后将茶叶放在干净的毛巾上，静置五分钟。将茶叶轻轻卷入毛巾中，以去除多余的水分。将茶叶从毛巾中取出，分开，放在烤盘上。在烤箱或烤面包机中以 148 摄氏度（300 华氏度）的温度加热 10 到 15 分钟，或直到茶叶完全干燥。立即冲泡，或冷却后存放在密封容器中以备将来使用。

Oolong tea

乌龙茶

For making oolong tea, put the leaves in one layer on a baking tray. Put the tray in a sunny outdoor spot to let the leaves wilt. After 30 to 60 minutes, move the tray into the shade and move the leaves every hour for 8 to 10 hours. Next, place the leaves in a wide pan and cook them over low heat for 15 minutes, moving gently as needed to prevent burning. Let the leaves cool. And roll each leaf individually to keep its oils and flavors. They should be completely dry before storing in an airtight container.

制作乌龙茶时，将茶叶平铺在烤盘上。将烤盘放在阳光充足的室外，让茶叶枯萎。30 到 60 分钟后，将烤盘移至阴凉处，每小时翻动一次茶叶，持续 8 到 10 个小时。接下来，将茶叶放入宽锅中，用小火煮 15 分钟，并根据需要轻轻翻动以防止燃烧。让茶叶冷却。然后将每片叶子单独卷起来，以保持其油脂和香味。在存放在密封容器中之前，它们应该完全干燥。

Black tea

红茶

To make black tea, place leaves on a baking sheet in the sun for 10 to 12 hours to remove only 50 to 75 percent of the water. Then, cut the leaves into long pieces and roll into small balls. Place the balls in a warm room between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius (78 to 80 degrees F) that is not too dry of a room until they turn reddish-black. Then, dry them in an oven at 93 degrees Celsius (200 degrees F) for 5 minutes. Lower heat to 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) and continue drying for an additional hour. Cool and store in an airtight container.

制作红茶时，将茶叶放在烤盘上，在阳光下晒 10 到 12 个小时，以去除 50% 到 75% 的水分。然后，将茶叶切成长条，揉成小球。将球放在温度在 25 到 26 摄氏度（78 到 80 华氏度）之间、不太干燥的温暖房间里，直到它们变成红黑色。然后，在烤箱中以 93 摄氏度（200 华氏度）的温度烘干 5 分钟。将温度降至 60 摄氏度（140 华氏度），继续烘干一小时。冷却后存放在密封容器中。

Native to China, camellia sinensis var. sinensis is cold-hardy. That means it can survive in cold weather. However, it may need some protection to survive cold winters.

茶树原产于中国，耐寒。这意味着它可以在寒冷的天气中生存。然而，它可能需要一些保护才能在寒冷的冬天生存下来。

The same is true for another variety of this flower, camelia sinensis var. assamica. Native to India, this kind is more like a tree.

这种花的另一个变种——阿萨姆茶树也是如此。这种茶树原产于印度，更像一棵树。

You will have to research which kinds of camellia sinensis can grow in your area.

你必须研究一下你所在地区可以种植哪些种类的茶树。

On its website, the International Camellia Society gives you suggestions for how to protect these plants during a cold weather.

在其网站上，国际山茶协会就如何在寒冷的天气中保护这些植物提出了一些建议。

Mulching: Apply a thick layer of mulch around the base to protect the roots.

覆盖：在植物根部周围覆盖一层厚厚的覆盖物，以保护根部。

Covering: Use a cloth to cover the plant during extreme cold.

遮盖：在极度寒冷的天气里，用布遮盖植物。

Watering: Water the plant well before the first freeze.

浇水：在第一次霜冻之前给植物浇透水。

Location: Plant your camellia in a sheltered spot, such as near a building, to protect it from cold winds.

位置：将山茶花种植在避风的地方，例如靠近建筑物，以保护其免受冷风的侵袭。

Pruning: Avoid pruning late in the season. New growth may not survive colder weather.

修剪：避免在季节后期修剪。新长出的枝叶可能无法在寒冷的天气中存活。

I’m Anna Matteo. And I’m Andrew Smith.

我是安娜·马特奥。我是安德鲁·史密斯。

garden – v. to grow herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables

bud – n. a small growth at the tip or on the side of a plant stem that later develops into a flower, leaf, or new shoot

evergreen – adj. having foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season

shade – n. space sheltered from the heat and bright light of the sun

acidic – adj. Acidic soil tends to have mineral deficiencies that can affect plant growth. By definition, acidity is the characteristic of soil that has a pH level of less than 6.5 (a reading of 5.5 means the soil is very acidic).

steam – v. the invisible vapor into which water is changed when heated to the boiling point

brew – v. to prepare (as tea) by soaking in hot water

wilt – v. to lose or cause to lose freshness and become limp

oven – n. a chamber used for baking, heating, or drying

prune – v. to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth