It has been over a month since I last posted about a herb. I am finally back on schedule and hope to stick to it! I however do not have my reader back and I am at my wits end with not one of the three companies responsible for this replying to my emails! However, that is a whole post all on it’s own. Now, onto more about mint.
True mints come in an amazing range of flavours and fragrances. While everyone is familiar with spearmint and common mint, there are many more mouth-watering varieties, including apple, chocolate, lime, grapefruit, lemon and ginger. Look out for curly spearmint, Kentucky Colonel, Moroccan, peppermint, black, Mitcham, white peppermint, water mint, eau de cologne, bergamot, corn, red stemmed applemint, madalene hill, ginger, pineapple (mint) woolly, bowle’s, Japanese peppermint, pennyroyal, Corsican mint and rau ram.
The ideal conditions for this herb is a moist, rich soil and half to full sun. You can easily propagate the plant from cuttings or by divided clumps. If you don’t want the herb to invade your garden, grow it in pots.
All varieties dry well in a warm, airy place away from direct sunlight. Store crumbled leaves in an airtight container. Harvest foliage to use fresh as required.
When used fresh, the herb can overwhelm milder flavours and is best used with a light hand. The dried version is less assertive and is favoured in eastern Mediterranean and Arab countries. In general mint does not complement other herbs well, except parsley, thyme, marjoram, sage, oregano and coriander. It goes well with yoghurt and is used in Vietnamese food and in some Indian dishes. The coriander and lemon taste of Vietnamese mint is refreshing in salads. Spearmint is the ordinary garden mint and the most common culinary type. It is a classic flavouring for roast lamb and its accompaniments, and it goes well with potatoes, peas and salads. Peppermint has a particularly strong flavour and aroma. The oil is used in ice cream, confectionery and liqueurs.
information sourced from The Complete Book of Herbs
What I blogged:
- one year ago – Caraway
- two years ago – Pork Chops with Apple Sauce and Shitake Mushrooms
Thanks for this informative post my friend, if there is anything mint can do it is everything 😉
Cheers
CCU
I love adding it to water with some lime 🙂
mint with new baby potatoes was a childhood favourite in the UK 🙂
that sounds perfect for lunch!
Such a coincidence…I just got some mint from my sister and I am letting roots grow so I can plant in a pot…great post Tandy.
Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Hope your mint grows fantastically well Juliana 🙂
I love/hate mint…sometimes it’s a bit too overpowering but when it’s used right, it can definitely make a dish!
I so agree – I don’t like too strong a mint flavour 🙂
I love mint, especially the traditional serving with lamb!
It is best with lamb indeed 🙂
I had no idea there were so many mints, Tandy! The common mint is currently romping across a patch of earth next to our drive. It’s incorrigible 🙂
It is the wildest herb I know! But it dissuades mice from coming near your house which for me is a good thing 🙂
We grow two sorts of mint – spearmint and an old fashioned garden mint which isn’t exactly peppermint, but it’s close. It’s distinguished by slightly hairy leaves! 🙂
Did you know that they cross polinate? I have the most amazing ‘new’ mints growing in my pots 🙂
I’ve been growing mint in my new little garden.. Good luck with finding your reader.. is that what you lose when you become self-hosted?? I wonder..
Hi Barb. No, my reader is my BlackBerry PlayBook that went in for repair in June! I read all my blogs on it as I don’t pay for bandwidth as it is part of my BIS service here in South Africa 🙂