Mint
I have been growing mint for so many years, I cannot remember when I first planted it. We use it a lot of ways. I think I first planted it after reading about all the pests that do not like it. Our whole neighborhood had ants everywhere and they were starting to come in the house. So, I planted it in the flower bed down one side of the house. I put one long stem with several leave in a spray bottle and fill it up with vinegar. I use it to spray the counters stove and you name it, in the kitchen when I am cleaning. Everything comes clean, smells good and no ants.
One year when we were buying starts for my vegetable garden, we saw a chocolate mint plant. Of course, we could not pass that up. I planted it in front of my house in one of the flower beds. I love the shade of green and it was a good filler to use in between the flowers. My sons were already in the habit of grabbing a couple mint leaves and chewing them like gum. They said it made their mouth feel tingly and their breath fresh. They really liked it when the chocolate mint was added. According to them, it tasted like a Peppermint Patty. Now my nephews and my friend’s granddaughter do the same when they visit.
I love to make tea with mint and various other herbs. I make it with fresh herbs during the summer and dry enough to make the rest of the year. Charles, my oldest son, has been drinking mint tea since he was young. I have always drunk hot tea in winter months when I frequently get bronchitis. I learned this from my grandmother, who made what she called a hot toddy, to help with breathing easier. I would hold the steaming cup under my nose and breath in the steam until it cooled off enough to drink it.
My son noticed that mint tea settled his stomach, so we started fixing it minus the alcohol all during flu season. After we started growing the chocolate mint Charles decided he would help me with the process of drying mint for winter. He wanted to be sure I had plenty of chocolate mint, so he took an old metal wreath frame and made a huge wreath of chocolate mint for me and hung on the kitchen side of a door. A nice touch to the kitchen and plenty to last all winter.
- Mint leaves – tea ball full or 1 teabag if you do not grow your own
- 1 tsp Honey
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- 1 capful of rum or whiskey (adults only)
I use fresh ingredients when possible, but if unavailable a bottle of lemon juice and mint teabags can be found at most grocery stores. Sometimes, during cold and flu season, I make a whole pot of tea in the coffee maker with a large tea ball or just put a large amount of leaves in the coffee filter.
On the hottest days of summer, I like to make iced mint tea. I just rinse a large amount of fresh mint and boil it in one of my largest pots. After it cools a little, but is still warm, I strain it into a large glass container. Then I add ¾ cup organic sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour over ice in my favorite glass and put the rest in the refrigerator for later. This has been one of my favorites since long before my kids were born. My younger brother used to ask me to make it for him years ago.
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Christine