Farmers Weekly Review

Clockwise from upper left: Mint is so much more than candy canes–it flavors toothpaste and mouthwash, makes soothing tea, fresh breath gum, sweet baked goods, and even some organic insecticides!

If sage is the savory herb of the Thanksgiving, I would have to say brown sugar in the pies and sweet potatoes would be the sweet side, but there is no doubt that the herb of the winter holidays is mint. More specifically, peppermint.

But there are so many more sides to this refreshing culinary herb than just flavoring candy canes and cream cheese candies.

When you think mint, do you think of spearmint? Peppermint or maybe even wintergreen, which technically isn’t a mint. Did you know there are literally hundreds of varieties of the mint (Mentha spp. botanically)? Mint is in the plant family Lamiaceae. This plant family is known for its aromatic members, their square stems and their rampant growth.

With so many varieties of mint (some that you need to have a pretty strong taste bud imagination to taste), why is peppermint at the top of the leader board of usage? Peppermint has a much higher concentration of menthol (40%) while spearmint only has 0.5 %. The menthol is what gives peppermint that cool, somewhat numbing sensation. Mint and unrelated parsley were the very first breath fresheners in history, long before dental hygiene was even a thing.

All mints are notoriously “easy to grow.” Stop right there, friend. In garden-speak, that means rampant spreader. In fact, some mints will become your yard if you don’t take precautions to contain them. Peppermint included. Mints don’t really care how bad the soil is, or the lack of full sun. They are beyond assertive. But with a few tricks are easy to control.

If you can’t control it, contain it. Put your mints in containers. If you choose, you can drop those containers in the ground, so they become part of the landscape. But remember annually to pull them up and cut off any roots and runners that have escaped their little pot prison.

I prefer to keep my mints on my deck where I can snip or squeeze the leaves as I need or just for a natural air freshener. And don’t worry, mints don’t need a special, super insulated pot to make it back every year. I have some delightful mints that have lived outside in the thinnest of recycled plastic containers, winter after winter, and still resurrect the following spring.

Growing mint is the easy part. But what is it used for other than candy canes? The answer is plenty. Whenever I start a new garden project with children, I bring as many plants as possible that offer interesting sensory characteristics. They are so surprised that first time they get a tiny leaf of the “mystery plant” and are instructed to squeeze it between their fingers (this releases the essential oils) and then smell.
Sometimes they will enthusiastically say candy! And then ask if they can eat it. I explain the other side of mint before they do. They expect the sweet taste of candy or gum, but mint without sugar is strong and menthol. That is actually the “pepper” part of the peppermint name — the flavor of straight peppermint is, well, peppery and even a little hot or mildly spicy.

That spicy, refreshing flavor of peppermint’s menthol is why it is added to so many other products; no, not in the kitchen, but in the bathroom. Many people don’t realize mint flavors our toothpaste and mouthwash. But why? Well, without the cool, refreshing flavor of mint, toothpaste would be wallpaper paste-bland, and mouthwash would taste even more antiseptic.

In American culture, peppermint is associated with candy, sweets, and bakery, except for that mint jelly that goes so well with lamb dishes. Around the world, though particularly in Thai, Vietnamese and Greek cuisine, you can find mint chopped into savory dishes.

Fresh mint is also great to use in beverages. Muddle (that means bruise with a spoon in the bottom of a drink glass) and then add iced tea or your favorite cocktail. Speaking of the newer variety, mojito mint has been flying off the garden center shelves these last few years.

One simple way I like to use fresh peppermint leaves, is to create mint sugar. Just pick a handful of peppermint leaves off your plant and seal them in an airtight bag or bowl with a cup or two of sugar. Within a week, the mint will have infused into the sugar, and now you have mint sugar.

What might surprise you though, is mint is making its appearance not only in the kitchen and bathroom, but also in the garden shed. Some organic insecticides are made of peppermint oil. And many rodent/mammal repellants also contain peppermint oil.

So, do you think you will just end up with peppermint-scented bugs? No, the oil actually works chemically to negatively impact the neurological systems of some insects. Also, the strong odor serves as a repellant. Just a reminder that whether organic or synthetic, read the label on any pesticide and follow it. The label is the law.

On the other side of garden pests, the furry ones, there have been varied reports of success/failure of mint used as a critter repellant. The good news is that if it doesn’t work, at least your garden will smell minty fresh!

And for a refreshing gift idea … A fresh mint plant is a welcome hostess gift any time of the year, particularly at the holidays. Live mint plants can now be found year-round in the produce section of most grocery stores.