A MULTITUDE OF MINT

Who can resist grabbing at a handful of mint leaves as they pass by them in the garden and burying their face in them!  What an extraordinary experience!

An immense family of pungent plants, mints have a unique soft spot in our hearts, an ongoing love/hate relationship. Vigorous growth, extreme hardiness and a wide range of foliage texture and scents are offset only by their overly aggressive nature.

Yes…once you have grown your first mint plant, within a few years you will swear to never plant another!  Not the friendliest of neighbors, they will be happy to push their companions aside in search of room to reach their full potential.

For that reason we would like to suggest containers for your mints. Containers can be sunk into the garden with 2” of lip showing on the pot. This will keep the mints in their place and not creeping around other desirable plants. You can also plant them in a decorative container and set them on the porch, patio or deck.

Plant with one type of mint – or a multitude of mints!

Here are just a few of the many mints available for your pleasure! Apple Mint, Banana Mint, Basil Mint, Lavender Mint, Lime Mint, Pennyroyal, Peppermint, Pineapple Mint, Spearmint, Candy Mint, Chocolate Mint, Corsican Mint, Curly Mint, Grapefruit Mint to name a few.

Choice is highly personal. Mints can be used for jams and jellies, to flavor meats and vegetables, to make tea, or simply to enjoy smelling as you walk around the garden on a summer evening.

CULINARY:

Used to make tea, candy, cookies, beverages, jellies and used for flavoring.
Freeze leaves in ice cubes to add to drinks.
Flowers are edible.
Use in custards, breads, desserts, vegetable and fruit dishes.
Use as a seasoning by washing leaves in warm water and serving.
Lebanese dry the leaves then crush through a strainer and put in a jar; then sprinkle on salads or make tea or season vegetable dishes.
Amish serve tea made from the fresh leaves and call it ‘meadow tea’.
Chill mint tea and add to club soda or ginger ale.
Use leftover mint stems as stirrers in cocoa, hot coffee, etc.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT TEA
Boil 1/2 C. water with 1/2 C. sugar for 5 minutes and add 1 tsp black tea and 1/4 C. chopped mint leaves (fresh, or else 1/8 c. dried leaves); then cover and steep 10 to 12 minutes; strain; combine liquid with 1 quart boiling water and 1/2 C. lemon juice and bring to boil again; serve.

ICED MINT

3 C. fresh mint leaves                         6 Tbsp sugar                            Juice of 3 lemons.

Pound mint leaves to pulp in mortar and pestle (or use blender or food processor); add 2 Tbsp sugar and pound again; make syrup by boiling 2¼ pints water with remaining sugar for 5 minutes; remove from heat and cool; add lemon juice and mint pulp; stir well and chill several hours before serving.

APPLEMINT ALE
1/2 C. sugar      1 C. water      18 sprigs of apple mint       4 lemons       1 qt. ginger ale.

Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add 10 sprigs of apple mint. Chill. Add juice of 4 lemons and strain. After filling glasses with crushed ice, add 1/2 C. apple ale and fill to top with ginger ale. Add a sprig of apple mint for garnish.