Mint

Mint,

Not just for Mojitos!!  

Ahhh, mint!! It is a refreshing smell, a cooling taste on your tongue, a great addition to Mediterranean dishes, lemonade, tea and even ice cream!! The smell brings on memories of summer days, picnics and fun!

The legend goes that the name “mint” comes from a nymph in Greek mythology named Minthe.  *Persephone, Pluto’s wife, found out that Pluto was in love with beautiful Minthe. She became jealous and turned her into a lowly plant in retaliation. Pluto couldn’t undo the curse so he made it so that she had a sweet smell when walked upon which got sweeter the more it was walked on. (Even back then there was drama!) The name was then changed to Mentha and became the genus name of the herb, mint.

Mint has long been used as both a culinary & medicinal treatment for many ages. At one time it was even used to pay taxes by the Pharisees. It is can be used to freshen your breath, treat stomach upset and an aid to digestion. It has been touted as an insect repellent and to whiten teeth! It can be used fresh or dried. I personally love the smell and taste of fresh mint. I use the back of a spoon to ‘muddle’ it when I put it in tea, lemonade or soups. Muddling it bruises it to release the oils that give mint its scent and flavor.

Mint plants have an interesting structure. Their stems are square instead of round and the leaf margins are jagged and a bit furry underneath in some instances. The leaves are alternate, meaning that two will grow opposite each other, the next two will grow opposite of those two and so on down the stem. Not all mint plants are mint scented, such as horehound although it is a member of the mint family.

Mint flower

They are considered a perennial; meaning they grow all year, flower usually in spring/summer time. They can tolerate part shade to full sun but in high heat areas they will do best in part shade.  They tolerate a variety of soils, but will try to find a richer soil if placed in a poor soil. They can be invasive!!!! That being said, they do very well on hillsides and can cover quite a large area. I prefer to plant them in pots, which they do quite well in. They do need a good soil in pots and prefer a loamy soil. (Loam is a type of soil. Usually a 40-40-20 concentration of sand, silt and clay respectively.) Make sure the pot has good drainage as they don’t do well sitting in a bog at the bottom of a non-draining pot! If you prefer to plant them in the ground, one way to slow their invasiveness is to plant them in a pot, in the ground. This means that you drop the pot into a hole in the ground with the plant already planted in it. This provides a root barrier but be aware, since the pot needs drainage holes, those same holes will eventually allow the mint roots to invade the soil around it. Also, the trailing stems can re-root where they touch the ground. The upside is that if you catch it early enough, you can just pull them right out of the ground and cut them off.

There are several of types of mint to plant; peppermint, lemon mint, apple mint, chocolate mint and orange mint to name a few of the more often used types. If you choose to grow a few types of mint, be aware that they can and most likely will cross pollinate so you may get another variety altogether!! If you can, separate them by quite a distance. This may lessen the chance of you ending up with an undesirable flavored mint. Also, don't confuse 'water mint' with mint grown in soil. While it is in the mint family, it doesn't have the same flavor or scent. There is also a compact ground hugging mint called Corsican mint. The leaves are very tiny and it forms a dense mat, which is great in between flagstone.

To harvest, cut the stems on a dry day and when the morning dew has evaporated from the plant. This will help reduce the possibility of the remaining leaves turning black. This is a fungus and if is shows up, I do recommend removal all black leaves and throwing them away. Wash your hands after removing them and make sure you don’t touch other healthy leaves as you may spread the fungus. You can then strip the leaves from the stem and use either fresh or dry them to use later. 

To increase your plant population you can cut stems, about 6-8 inches long, remove the lower leaves and set the stem in water, setting the container in an area that gets bright light and warmth. You don’t want to leave it outside in direct sun or in a windowsill in direct sun. Remember to change water every other day or so to avoid bacterial growth on the roots or stem. Once you have roots of a decent length (about 1 ½ - 2 inches long) and a good amount of them, you can transplant into a pot. I would still keep it inside or in a protected place outside until it has set more roots. To determine this, tug gently on the stem. If there is a slight resistance, it has started to set roots and can be placed in part shade. Make sure that you keep the soil slightly moist so that the plant doesn’t dry out unexpectedly. You can also put several starters in a single large pot to create a more full pot later.

Variegated Pineapple mint

Mint is a very easy plant to grow, one that is really good for kids to grow since it is fun to incorporate into a variety of foods, as well as chewing a whole leaf itself!!

One last caution: the herbs you get in the grocery store do not do well if they are planted. They are either hydroponically grown, so their root system won’t take the sudden soil or force grown in a greenhouse which means they aren’t that hardy to begin with but are acceptable for cooking.

Go forth and grow some mint!!! You won’t be sorry and you’ll have a plant that is scented and useful, who could ask for more?

Happy gardening!

Mary

* Myth info from Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Herbs - A very good herb info resource

Magazines devoted to or based on herbs & their use:

Herb Quarterly - has info on herbs & their uses, how to make lotions, lip balm, soaps and gift items as well as recipes.

Mother Earth Living (formerly Herb Companion) Now a bit more of a slick magazine, along the lines of Real Simple meets Herb Companion. I'm still checking it out. I really liked the old format, but wasn't consulted.... =)

I'm sure there are more out there, I just haven't really searched for them yet.