Mint- Friday Foods

Hi Friends,

Today we are talking about harvesting and using Mint. Yes, it is invasive and not grown by some people (who call it a weed), but there are many uses for Mint. I harvest the areal parts of plant, dry the root for teas, eat the leaves in salads, and use fresh leaves in drinks as well as cooking. You can also make mint jelly that is most often served with Lamb or Wild Game. The dried mint is used in my herbal meds, potpourri, hung in bunches around the house for pest control. I love using mint as a ground cover under trees in the yard. They are extremely fragrant and deter bugs. I have mint in with my strawberries, which improves vigor and vitality of the plants.

Mint

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  Botanical Name: 

  Mentha
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Plant Type: 

  Herb

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Sun Exposure: 

  Full Sun/Part Shade

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Soil Type: 

  Well drained/loamy  

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• Mints have been long used for their herbal and medicinal qualities for several thousand years . 
• And would you believe the estimation of mint varieties is over 600 in the world today? 
• The mint leaves(stems & roots) are only 5 calories for 2 Tablespoons and are full of  manganese5%, copper3%, vitamin C3%, according to Worlds Healthiest Foods. 
• They are healing and cleansing to the body.

  One can eat the fresh Mints in salads, chew it for fresh breath, put it in drinks like hot and cold teas. Mint teas have been used by the Native Americans for it's healing properties. A Hot Tea of Mint leaves has been enjoyed throughout the world. Mint has been used for it's aromatic fragrance since ancient times, in temples, as air fresheners, and as perfume.

   I like a cold glass of water with Lemon and Mint.  "The taste of both peppermint and spearmint bear a flavor that can be described as a cross between pepper and chlorophyll, with peppermint being a bit stronger and spearmint being a little more cool and subtle." from whfoods.

  Common Mint Species that I am familiar growing.
  

  

  • Mentha canadensis – American wild mint
  • Mentha cervina – Hart's pennyroyal
  • Mentha citrata – bergamot mint, orange mint 
  • Mentha piperita – peppermint
  • Mentha sachalinensis – garden mint 
  • Mentha suaveolens – apple mint, pineapple mint

    Selected hybrids

  •   Mentha × piperita (M. aquatica × M. spicata) – peppermint, chocolate mint
  • Mentha × villosa (M. spicata × M. suaveolens also called M. nemorosa) – large apple mint, foxtail mint, hairy mint, woolly mint, Cuban mint, mojito mint, and yerba buena in Cuba
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  • Mentha × villosonervata (M. longifolia × M. spicata) – sharp-toothed mint
  • (the above links are to +Wickipedia )

  
  

  I did find that growing Wintergreen can be difficult. It is a tender mint, so I grow it in a shady garden. Like all mints, it is a perennial plant and can get invasive if not tended.

  Here are a few resources:

  • Pantry Garden Herbs 
  •  
• Wickipedia

• I do hope you try something new today! (I am not an MD. or a Nutritionist. I don't claim to be.)

  
  

  Enjoy!

  CJD.Sign