peppermint | Evie's Gardens

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Posts tagged ‘peppermint’

Mint

When Jennifer was referred to me as to the person to go to about the herbs she wanted to grow, first, I told I would re-pin some pins from my boards.

Then, I thought I should write my post about it, and share it with more of you.

So here goes.

The first herb I want to share is Mentha, also known as mint. There are many types of mint from apple to wooly, probably a lot more that I don’t know about. It smells good, it is wonderful to cook with, and it’s good for your health!

Mint is very easily rooted, just top it off leaving about four leaves and a couple of leaf joints below that intact. Stick it in the ground, making sure the bottom leaf joints are buried. Keep moist and it will root. It will also root if you pull up a stem, strip most of the leaves and bury it sideways, shallow. Actually it can be very invasive, so be careful!

Personally, I love it as a ground cover, and I don’t care if it spreads. In fact, on any given day, you might see me tucking some in the ground, spreading that joy around!

Mint thrives in partially shaded, moist soil, but also does well in the sun.

If you don’t want it to spread, bury a twelve inch deep barrier of some sort in the ground between your plants and where you don’t want it to grow. Mint makes a great container plant.

I love to brush across it and spill the fragrance. I am particularly fond of chocolate, lemon, and pineapple mints. What am I saying? I love them all. Spearmint, peppermint, the works.

Basil is even related to the mint family, and just as easy to grow.

Most prefer using mint leaves fresh, but you can dry them also for teas, potpourri, and other uses.

I harvest mine by cutting the tops off with a pair of scissors when it gets taller than I want it. This makes it bushier and it seems to spread faster! Some say harvest twice a year, some say harvest throughout. I do it when it is convenient for me.

Grab sicssors and cut a handful of peppermint with stems and leaves. Bunch together and turn the bundle upside down. Secure with a rubber band, or whatever you use. (I use clean pantyhose cut in one half inch circles from the legs of the pantyhose.)

Hang upside down to dry in a dry place. It doesn’t really matter where. Dry them over your kitchen sink, in the window, in the pantry… just so it’s a dry place. When completely dry, store in a airtight container.

Here again, frugal me… I recycle Folger’s coffee cans.

Mint is repellent to many pesky insects. I keep it in my cupboards to repel mice. Some say ants don’t like it. On my DIY board there is instructions for making your own insect repellent using peppermint essential oil.

Here is a link for making your own essential oil with herbs. Sounds fun. Maybe when I get back home I will attempt this.

I do enjoy cooking with peppermint oil, and always have some drying for uses around the house. I love peppermint tea.