Grow, Harvest, & Preserve Mint
Grow, Harvest, & Preserve Mint
I have a love for Mint. I currently grow peppermint, spearmint, and chocolate Mint. Even if I didn't grow it for culinary and medical reasons, I would still grow it for the smell it adds to the garden and home!
Why grow Mint?
- Mint tastes amazing in drinks, teas, and desserts.
- Beauty uses included hair rinses, face astringents, and even mint baths.
- Helping to alleviate coughs.
- Repelling pests in your home and garden.
- Aromatherapy & helping your home smell fresh.
- Boost your mood with just a scent or a quick leaf chew.
- Mouthwash and breath fresher.
- It's effortless to grow and will come back every year.
- And as most herbs do, it has many medical qualities.
Plant Features & Where to Grow:
Mint is also a perennial plant that will return yearly, making it a great addition to a permanent kitchen or herb garden.
Mint likes sunlight and a little shade. It enjoys being moist but doesn't like "wet feet." Make sure it can drain too much water. I drill holes in all my pots to make sure.
It grows tall and out. It is considered a "spreader" and invasive if not controlled. I keep all my Mint plants in containers. Even though they are confined, I have still found where the plants have dropped down and rooted in the surrounding ground. So, you have to keep an eye out.
You want your mint varieties to be consistent while flowering and seeding. So, don't let them "interbreed" by separating them into different locations. If they mix, the new plants will not be as fragrant and tasteful as the parent plant.
Consider these things when thinking about where to place in your garden. It also produces flowers that pollinators love.
- Growing from Seed: It's hard to grow Mint from seeds.
- Buy Plants: It's easier to buy plants from a garden center.
- Propagate: Take some cuttings from a friend. Then you can propagate from cuttings in the future!
How to Use:
In the Kitchen
Mint is most commonly used in drinks and teas. Its refreshing taste adds that pop of freshness, especially in the summer months.
Peppermint is usually used in desserts and Spearmint for savory dishes.
Mint-Infused Honey: (Printable Recipe Below)
A Mint infused honey is a great mild cough & cold natural remedy.
What you need:
- Half Pint Jar
- Local Honey
- Mint Leaves
Step 1: Fill a half-pint jar halfway with fresh Mint leaves and flowers.
Step 2: Gently warm a batch of raw honey to extract the Mint's properties better.
I usually skip this step because switching the honey from pot to jar is messy. You can't overheat the honey above 110° F, or it will kill its enzymes, giving it medicinal benefits.
Step 3: Add enough honey to the jar to cover the herbs.
Step 4: Place in a warm spot, like a warm/sunny window seal, where it will steep for about two weeks.
Check your jar; it is finished if the honey tastes and smells strongly of Mint.
You can leave the leaves in or strain them out. I like how the leaves look in the honey; it helps me visually know the infusion. Once again, it's less messy and less honey wasted if you leave them in. If you're not sure if you will remember which infused honey it is later grab these FREE printable stickers HERE.
How to store your infused honey:
You will want to keep it in a cool place. You can even place it in your refrigerator. Either way, it should last several months.
How to use your infused honey:
You can take a teaspoonful by mouth. Add to your morning coffee, which I do to my mushroom coffee daily. It is also good with oatmeal.
Flower Bouquets:
Add Mint sprigs into bouquets for a soft, whimsical look. The tiny flowers add sweetness to the arrangement.
It will also add a delicious smell to your bouquet while helping keep pesky gnats and flies away!
Visually pleasing while keeping pests away, you can't bet that!
How to Preserve Mint:
Mint is a very easy herb to dry. You can tie them together three steams at a time and hang them upside down. They should be ready in about two weeks.
Then place the dried leaves in a jar. Store in a cool dark place.
Always label your herb jars! Many herbs look similar once dry and better to be safe than sorry. You can grab the labels featured here (there are three different designs) and in my video in our Kitchen Section of our online shop here: Herb Labels
You can also use herb salt as a way to preserve Mint. (Blog link here)
Watch my Mint harvest, how I dry Mint, and create Mint-infused honey.
Thanks for visiting the Wildwood Wonder Cottage Homestead!
