It was time to find the answer to a question that had puzzled me for quite some time: Why is Clark's Teaberry Chewing Gum called "teaberry" when my own tea plant has never had any berries?
As research, I bought a package of the gum ($1.19 for 15 pieces) when I was at Cracker Barrel last week. It had a nice wintergreen flavor, although I'm not a big fan of chewing gum and would rather save my candy calories for chocolate. Still, I learned that the Eastern Teaberry plant produces berries with a minty flavor (inspiring the name of the gum), and the leaves and branches can be used to make an herbal tea.
My husband informed me of an old jingle for the gum called "The Teaberry Shuffle," and I was delighted to find it on YouTube. So now if you see Clark's Teaberry Chewing Gum, you'll know how it got its name, how it's related to tea, and how to do "The Teaberry Shuffle," if you're so inclined!