Mint Glazed Fresh Fruit

Hi everyone!

Have you grown mint or currently grow mint? There are a lot of different mints out there. We grow Peppermint, Spearmint, Apple Mint, Chocolate Mint, Orange mint, Lime Mint and a couple of others.

I love all the mints. They can be used in so many ways. And they are generally so easy to grow. If you haven’t grown mint you will want to keep in mind that they grow and spread quickly and easily!

Keeping them in contained areas is you best bet otherwise, they will run amuck! We have our three main mints in oak barrels.

Apple Mint:

Peppermint:

Spearmint:

Besides using our mints in teas, mints are wonderful in so many other dishes.

Infusing them in honey makes a delicious glaze for cakes, pancakes, and other baked goods. It is also wonderful for glazing fresh fruit!

I made an Apple mint honey glaze the other day.

I used:

About a half a cup of honey

1 Tablespoon of dried Apple Mint

Bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Once it hits the boil, take the heat down to low. When it stops boiling, add about 1/4 cup of fruit juice and stir in. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

I used peach juice for this glaze. You could use pineapple juice, pear juice or apple juice.

Once it has cooled down you can pour it over your fresh chopped fruit and toss. If this glaze starts to seize up, just add a little more juice until it is liquid.

The leftover juice is so delicious! Use it in cakes or smoothies!

Even if you don’t have a lot of room, grab a planter and plant some mint. You won’t regret it!

I’m joining:

Foodie Friday

Weekend Cooking

Herb Infused Iced Tea

Hi everyone!

Last week we gave the last of the 3 part presentation at Roosevelt High School. This presentation was about using herbs.

Since we have started our herb business we have discovered that people can be a bit confused about herbs. It is not an area everyone feels comfortable when it comes to using them.

After spending a huge amount of time educating folks at the Farmers Markets about herbs and then having many requests from organizations to speak about how to use herbs, we finally added this as a part of the presentations we now offer.

If you are not familiar with how to cook or bake with herbs, I believe it is best to keep it simple. Just add a little here and there until you start to find out what you like.

So, for this last presentation I prepared some very simple treats for everyone to try.

This post is going to show you how to do a simple Herb Infused Iced Tea.

Now, this is NOT herbal tea. This is a black tea infused with herbs. And “infused” means all the tea and herbs were NOT boiled.

How to:

Boil a kettle of water

In your pitcher add 5 bags of your favorite black tea. (Most common teas are black tea or a mix of)

Add in the pitcher a Tablespoon of dried Peppermint

Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of Dried Lemon Balm

Add one heaping teaspoon of Dried Stevia

Stevia is a natural sweetener and is basically calorie free.

Pour boiling water into the pitcher and let steep for about 30 minutes. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor.

**If you don’t have the dried herbs, you can use fresh herbs. Generally that means you need to use 2 to 3 times the amounts. And make sure you crush up (bruise) all the leaves to release the oils.**

Next double a piece of cheesecloth across the pitcher and strain into another pitcher. You can do this twice if you want but, generally by doubling the cheesecloth, once is enough.

Now refrigerate and enjoy!

Remember, you can try different herbs that you like in making an Herb Infused Tea. Play around with any of the mints and “Lemon” herbs (Verbena or Thyme). And you can use the same recipes to make a Hot Herb Infused Tea.

I will be sharing more fun and easy things that I made using herbs at this presentation in the coming week so, stop back by!

For more great recipes, check out these parties I am joining:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday

Lime Mint

Hi everyone!

Last weekend we had a few inches of snow on the ground. Today the snow is almost gone and it is sunny out.

After last week’s Master Gardener’s class, which was all about flowers and landscaping, I was just itching to get outside and play in the soil!

Since it was sunny, I decided to bundle up and go outside and putter around a little bit.

I started cleaning out the dead debris from a pot of Lime Mint. This was a new herb for us last year.

All the dead stuff is gone and out of the pot.

Now look what I found.

Lots of new growth! I had to cut off several runners that had planted themselves into the yard near the pot.

I love trying new mints. They are fun to play with. But, they are aggressive so, when you plant them, you need to plant them in their own area. I use large pots to get them established. If you don’t contain them, they will completely take over wherever they are planted!

Next, I am tackling the chocolate mint!

While I was outside working, I noticed that our oak barrel with peppermint has standing water.

 It is the only barrel doing this. We are going to have to come up with a drainage solution for this barrel. It will be a project to deal with next month. Have you taken a look at your gardening areas and noticed any drainage problem? This is the time to start checking things out and come up with a game plan for Spring.

This has been such a weird winter here in Michigan. We have had very little snow and relatively mild temps. I think all our poor plants are so confused!

They are Runnin’ Amuck!

Hi everyone!

Holy cow! Our herbs here at home are going crazy! I need to seriously find a good chunk of time to harvest them soon!

Barrels of Peppermint and Spearmint! I have never harvested the mint flowers. I think I am going to do that and play around with some recipes using them.

Time to cut and dry some dill and dill seeds! And in the background you can see a sage plant ready to be cut back and dried as well.

More dill. Some purple basil and oregano all need harvesting!

The lemon balm is just huge! And it needs to be harvested first because we dry and sell this one. It is a popular dried herb of ours because it is very difficult to find dried lemon balm. Customers are always asking for it.

Lemon Verbena, more purple basil and some thyme are so ready to be cut! 

This is about 1/3 of our herbs here at home. They are all doing amazing!  And I have said it before, but just walking near these herbs, the smells are so wonderful! If for no other reason, planting herbs just for the scent would be something I would do!

All of our plants are completely grown chemical free. We have had such great success growing all of our herbs naturally that I can’t even image using any chemicals! 

We have several neighbors who come over and ask to buy some for our fresh herbs here at home because they are making some recipe right then and there that requires certain herbs. They all know we have a lot of fresh herbs here. We tell them to just pick what they need. Then it never fails, a couple of hours later we end up with a bowl of whatever they just cooked/baked. LOL

I am also posting this on our DTL Herbs Blog .

Don’t forget you still have time to enter the Yoplait “Pink Lids” Prize Package giveaway!

Just click the picture above!

Mint Planters Coming Soon!

Hi everyone!

Well, our mint as finally large enough to transfer some plants to planters to be sold at the markets.

I am so excited to start using our mint! At this time of the year, I am using them all the time!


Applemint

I will be making up planters with Spearmint, Applemint and Peppermint. Look for them at the markets next week!

And I will be posting some recipes using our different mints very soon!

Have a wonderful day and go check out your local Farmer's Market and enjoy FRESH produce and products being offered!

Herb Of The Week - Mint

The herb of the week is Mint (mentha).

The name Mentha, comes from the Greek mentha. According to legend Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, had an affair with the nymph Menthe. Hades’ jealous wife Persephone found out about the affair and chased after Menthe and violently trod her into the ground. Hades changed Menthe into the plant we know today as Mint. To help Hades overcome his grief at losing his lover the Mint plant was given a delightful aroma which can be enjoyed anytime the plant is touched or walked upon.

Although Mint comes in over 500 different varieties, we have only 3 varieties growing ourselves: Peppermint (mentha piperitas), Spearmint (mentha spicata), and Apple Mint (mentha suaveoloen).

Mint is very easy to grow and is an ideal herb for a beginner. But there are some things to watch out for.
Mint spreads very quickly, and if not controlled will take over an entire garden. The best way to grow Mint is in a container, but if that isn’t practical for your purposes, there are several ways to keep it under control.

Coffee cans, with both ends cut off. Sections of PVC pipe, at least 8” in diameter and 10” long. Clay drainage pipe sections. Even a mesh bag, like the kind lemons are sold in, or an old t shirt with the neck and sleeves sewn shut. All of these will discourage the spread of Mint.

Mint grows best in partial shade and in moist soil. Planting it in dry sandy soil, or in full sun will also discourage the spread of the plant. Or you can simply dedicate one raised bed to nothing but Mint.


It is important to note I did not say any of these things would PREVENT the spread of your Mint. I am telling you right now. If you plant your Mint in the ground, no matter how hard you try to contain it, it WILL spread. That’s ok. As long as you control the spread, and slow it down, you can pick, cut and dig the shoots and new growth and keep it under control.

Mint spreads in two ways. It sends shoots, or runners, (similar to roots) under the ground. New leaves will grow off these runners. Mint also will tend to fall over as it gets taller, and will send out root systems wherever it touches the ground.

I hope I didn’t scare you off with all that. Mint is very hardy and spreads quickly, but it is also fun to grow and fun to use.

To grow the best Mint, start with transplants. Most good varieties are hybrids and won't grow from seed. The plants grown from seed will not be as hardy either.

Mint can be harvested two or three times during the growing season, with a heavy harvest at the end of the season.
Cut Mint with scissor, to avoid unnecessary damage to the stems. If you cut leaves from the top of the plant it will encourage bushier growth at the bottom, cutting from the bottom of the plant tends to lead to spindly awkward plants.

Mint, like many of the other herbs I have addressed in past weeks, can be used fresh, or frozen or dried.

Use Mint to flavor vegetables—cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. You can add fresh Mint to cold and hot soups and beverages.

A bit of fresh Mint chopped finely and sprinkled over fresh cut cubes of pineapple makes a unique and refreshing combination.


Medicinally, Mint has a remarkable reputation with indigestion, for calming the nerves, for soothing sleep and recurring sickness. Many herbalists claim it aids virility and can be used against Migraine. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tablespoonful of chopped fresh leaves and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Take as required a tablespoon at a time.

It is said that Mint in tea form aids upset stomachs, flu, and can be used to ease hiccups. Inhalations of the leaves in boiling water is recommended for head colds and asthma. Mint tea used instead of aspirin is great for headaches, particularly pre menstrual headaches. Nervous headaches can be relieved if you lie in a dark room with fresh peppermint leaves on the forehead. Aids the respiratory and circulatory systems. An anti-inflammatory and an antiseptic. Ideal for treating indigestion, flatulence, varicose veins, headaches, migraines, skin irritations, rheumatism, toothache, and general fatigue.

In Magic, Mint is used in travel spells and the bright green leaves can be used in money and prosperity spells. Fresh Mint laid on the altar will call good spirits.

Spearmint is used in all healing applications, especially in aiding lung diseases. Smelled, spearmint increases and sharpens mental powers. Place it under the pillow for protection while asleep.

Peppermint has long been used in healing and purification spells. Its presence raises the vibrations of an area. Smelled, it compels one toward sleep, and placed beneath the pillow it sometimes offers one glimpses of the future in dreams. It is rubbed against furniture, walls and floorboards to cleanse them of evil and negativity. Many believe that peppermint excites love, and so can be added to this type of mixture.

In Irish Folklore, A bunch of Mint tied around the wrist will ward of infection and disease as well as cure disorders of the stomach.

Mint Recipes:

Minted Carrots

8 to 10 carrots cleaned and cut into slices (cooked until tender)
1/2 stick butter melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP washed finely chopped Mint

When butter is melted add the brown sugar and cook on medium heat approx. 5 minutes.

Add drained carrots to butter/brown sugar. Mix well, coating all of the carrots. Just before serving add in the chopped Mint. Stir well coating all and serve.

Mint Iced Tea
4 cups fresh Mint, chopped
1 gallon water
1 cups honey
1. Gently simmer chopped Mint leaves in a covered pot for 10 minutes. (Note: Covering your pot with a tight-fitting lid prevents evaporation of the volatile, aromatic oils in mint, keeping the flavor more intact)
2. Add honey, stirring until it dissolves.
3. Cover and let steep and cool for several hours or overnight. (This makes a strong, potent tea, maximizing the calcium and other nutrients in the mint.)
4. Chill overnight. Serve in a tall glass with ice. Float a fresh Mint leaf for a garnish for those special occasions.

Personal Note:
A recent experiment I did with Spearmint, Lemon Verbana and Stevia produced a very nice herbal tea. I used about 10 Mint leaves 5 Lemon Verbana leaves and 1 Stevia leaf.

I chopped them all up together, wrapped them in a coffee filter and steeped them in a teacup of boiling water.

You may want to adjust the amounts to your own taste.

Cucumber-Mint Salad
2 large cucumbers
½ cup minced red onion or chives
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp coarse-ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh Mint leaves, chopped fine
1. Slice the cucumbers in either thin rounds or half-moons.
2. Mix with the minced onions.
3. Blend yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and Mint together.
4. Toss dressing with cucumbers and onions and serve immediately.
Make this recipe in small batches. If left to sit overnight it gets watery, so try to make just enough for a meal, and toss the dressing just before serving.

Growing up in a strong religious non-alcoholic family, I had no clue what any alcoholic drinks tasted like, but as a teenager I was an avid fan of Mark Twain, and I often pictured myself sitting on the veranda of a southern mansion, with Mark Twain, dressed in Colonel Sanders suits, and drinking Mint Juleps as we watched boats go up and down the river and talked about politics and life.

I am not sure I would like a Mint Julep, having learned how they are made, they seem a bit strong for my taste, but the image still lingers, so I want to finish with the directions for making a Mint Julep:

First make a Minted Simple Syrup:
In heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 C water and 1 C sugar until sugar dissolves. Increase heat slightly, then simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take pan off heat, add 1 bunch Mint leaves, and steep 15 minutes. Strain, then refrigerate syrup until cold, about 3 hours.

To highball glass or silver Julep cup, add 1 oz. minted simple syrup, then 1 cup crushed ice, 2 oz. bourbon, and splash of water. Add additional crushed ice to almost fill glass. Stir well and garnish with mint sprig.


So that just about sums up Mint. If anyone is looking for me, I'll be out on the veranda with Mr. Twain.....