As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits, as the taste stirs up our appetite for meat... Pliny the Elder

Growing and Cooking with Mint

by Jane Lake

Growing Mint:
Apart from the well-known peppermint and spearmint, there are other varieties of mint that you can cultivate as well, including apple, orange, lemon, lime and even chocolate mint, although these will usually need to be ordered from a speciality nursery. Perennial mint is easily grown and useful for a variety of culinary purposes, including mint sauce, mint tea, mint vinegar and mint jelly. Mints are propagated by cuttings or seeds, but peppermint does not produce viable seeds and can only be propagated by cuttings. Mint root stock is widely available for purchase, but most gardeners who have mint will willingly provide you with a few free shoots that should transplant readily.

I have grown mint for many years and I would strongly advise cultivating this perennial herb in a large container rather than directly in the ground. Mint is invasive and will take over wherever it becomes established, crowding out most other plants. Try growing mint in a large plastic bucket, with no drainage holes, which you can partially submerge in the ground if you wish. Watch for runners that will try to spread beyond the container and cut them out immediately.

Mints like full sun or partial shade and rich, well-drained soil.

Mint has small white or lavender flowers, but it is the mint leaves which are most valued for the refreshing flavor they impart to food and, of course, toothpaste, candy and breath fresheners. Although fresh mint leaves are preferred, dried mint will also work well in many recipes.

To harvest mint, snip off young, fresh sprigs with scissors. Harvesting can begin in early spring and continue through the growing season. Remove any dead or decaying leaves and wash before using to garnish drinks, salads, soups or entrees. To dry, hang bunches upside down in a warm, dry location. Crumble the dried leaves and store in a sealed spice jar or airtight container. To freeze, wash then pack leaves in ice cube trays and fill with water. When frozen, pack minted ice cubes in plastic freezer bags. Thaw and use as you would fresh mint.

Cooking with Mint:
Mint combines well with fish, meat and vegetables. Cook a few sprigs when boiling peas or new potatoes to impart a fresh flavor. Add mint to water when steaming vegetables. Chop spearmint and add to olive oil as a marinade for fish steaks before grilling. Mint is a natural accompaniment to lamb, best served as mint sauce or mint jelly.

Peppermint also makes refreshing tea. Just add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried peppermint leaves for each cup of boiling water and steep for 10 minutes.

Medicinal Uses of Mint:
Peppermint tea is traditionally used to ease coughs due to colds, and to settle stomach upsets such as indigestion, menstrual cramps, flatulence, nausea, vomiting and colic in children. If peppermint tea is a little too strong in taste for your children, use spearmint, or try making the tea in milk instead of water.

Essential oils from peppermint and spearmint are both used in aromatherapy to relieve fatigue, headaches, colds, coughs and bronchitis. Mint is also reputed to have a mild sedative effect.

Lastly, use mint to make a simple, refreshing facial mist. Just place a handful of bruised mint leaves in a quart of warm water, stir vigorously, and let sit for an hour. Strain, add water to spray bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use as a cool facial refresher after exercising or during the summer.

Mint Julep
The official drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Early Times Mint Julep can also be prepared at home:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Sprigs of fresh mint

Crushed ice

Early Times Kentucky Whisky

Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.