An Abundance of Mints

12 Comments
Mints
    There are roughly five mint varieties in this bouquet including clockwise from top right: Chocolate mint, Pear mint, Ginger mint, Lemon Mint (with the crazy flowers), and Mojito mint (not seen).

Mint has got to be the most abundant herb in the garden and as this year’s mint harvest picks up speed I’ve been trying to find ways to use up last year’s dried stock. Today I mixed up a batch of Claudia’s Mint Lemonade but added my own zip with a dash of dried lemon verbena and a tiny pinch of dried stevia to sweeten.

Both were brewed in a tea pot (a new Bee House pot purchased at Soko Hardware in San Francisco) along with the mint and added to the lemon juice once cool. I threw in some fresh orange mint clippings and two orange slices before putting the pitcher in the fridge to chill. I’m not a lemonade fan but my spouse Davin says that the addition of mint tea to the lemonade dilutes some of the tartness of the lemons (without adding much sweetener) and makes for a more refreshing, thirst-quenching drink.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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12 thoughts on “An Abundance of Mints”

  1. It’s hard to come up with ways to use mint. I have just two varieties in my garden (Candy Lime and Pineapple), and still have a lot dried in the house from last year, too.

    I think it’s pretty just as a little bouquet like you have in that photo.

  4. Wow, I have a mint variety that I’m not quite sure what it is. It has these purple flowers, not crazy like lemon mint though. I was wondering if you knew what they are. I’m going to post a picture on my site soon.

  5. I have an apple mint in my garden this year that I’m so in love with… As for uses, I made a mango-mint sorbet the other day – turns out it’s a great flavor combo.

  8. Tabbouleh is also a good way to use mint. Depending on how much you love mint you can replace the parsley with mint completely or 50/50. Bonus – less bad breadth from the raw onions!
    Love your site, maybe if I read it enough other plants besides the mint will survive the season ; )

  9. i’ve been lurking for a bit, but just bought your book to help with me fumble my way through my first garden plot!

    i used to have a pot of pineapple mint that was both minty and pineapple-y. strangest combination ever, but quite refreshing with vodka and soda. made a good iced tea as well.

  10. Hi,

    Just read the article in the Toronto Star. I am looking for the type of mint that you would use in middle eastern/east indian cooking. There are so many types of mint I don’t know which to use. Also I am trying to find a place locally to buy seeds and plants. I am in the High Park area. Anyone know of a good nursery or garden centre?

  11. Christine: The best semi-local place to get mint at this time of year is Richters Herbs. They deliver if you can’t get to the farm. I usually buy mine at the Herb Fair (Harbourfront) which is the first Sunday of June once a year.

    As far as local garden centres give Fiesta Gardens at Christie (south of Dupont) a try. Colette of Urban Harvest might still have a few herbs in stock.

    I always assumed the mint to use was a basic english style mint but I say that with absolutely no authority.

  12. I just got a clipping of chocolate mint. The clipping is a single shoot that is about a foot and a half long with an almost equally long root. The flavor and sent of the mint doesn’t seem to be too affected by the legnth; the aesthetic, though, is lacking.

    I was considering cutting the shoot and potting the entire root system (I am a leave-no-trace renter). Or, perhaps there’s a way to convince the mint to root directly, in different places, from the rather long shoot.

    Thoughts?

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