405004 Thu May 24 20:48:39 -0700 2007 48 31 Home Cooking 0 2600502 As the result of a serious gardening mistake, which I really should have known better than to have made, I now have an entire raised bed, about 5 ft. by 3 ft., of flourishing mint. I need to get rid of it so that I can grow some actual vegetables, but I don't know how to use it in such quantity. There are only so many juleps a girl can drink, and I can't imagine throwing it away. BTW, ice cream is out of the question as I have neither an ice cream maker nor room in the freezer to store it. Thanks for your ideas, chowcooks! Thu May 24 20:48:39 -0700 2007 12456 Euonymous 1 2600513 Two suggestions (but one involves freezer space): 1) Make "pesto" the same way you would using basil, but substitute the mint. It's a fantastic alternative, lighter and fresher-tasting than traditional basil-based pesto. And it stores in the freezer very well. 2) Make simple syrup (3 or 2 parts water to 1 part sugar, depending on your taste); once the syrup has boiled for 5 minutes, throw in fists-ful of the mint leaves and steep them, off the heat, for an hour. The resultant syrup stores for weeks in the refrigerator, and can be used for mojitos (with more fresh mint leaves), or as an accompaniment to fresh strawberries. Thu May 24 20:56:14 -0700 2007 2600502 94907 glasshousejmb 2 2600535 I am not personally a big fan on the traditional mint jelly that was one de rigeur with lamb, but if anyone ever wanted to make a awesome homeade batch of the stuff, you would be the person to know. dry some for mint tea, and drink it iced all summer and warm all winter. make a very minty tabouli, heavy on the herbs (mint and parsely) as it should be. or seriously, just compost the stuff. it grows so well that i suspect you will never lack for mint again. why burn out on it now, i am sure you will miss some roots and it will grow back in between your veggies. good luck! Thu May 24 21:08:31 -0700 2007 2600513 68210 andytee 3 2600582 Good point. My husband made the same mistake in a bed in our front yard two years ago. He eventually tore up a lot of it. But there are still a few isolated plants there among the flowers he ended up planting....enough for the occasional sprig that I might need for a drink or a recipe.... Thu May 24 21:43:35 -0700 2007 2600535 10290 janetofreno 1 2600539 Lemon mint spa water. Big pitcher of water, slice up a lemon, pinch of mint leaves, chill and enjoy. MOJITO! Thai basil is very mint like as basil and mint are very closely related. Thu May 24 21:11:26 -0700 2007 2600502 49292 SeanT 2 2601383 Do the mint leaves turn brown in the water? Does that affect the flavor? Fri May 25 08:37:14 -0700 2007 2600539 33736 laurendlewis 3 2605819 No they do not. HOwever if you don't drink it in a reasonable amount of time, say 3-4 days then maybe. Sun May 27 09:05:59 -0700 2007 2601383 49292 SeanT 1 2600545 Why not make your friends nice gift baskets containing mint jelly, mint pesto, maybe the simple syrup and a fresh bundle of mint? I know I would love to receive such a treat. Thu May 24 21:12:45 -0700 2007 2600502 76025 mojoeater 1 2600551 The syrup idea is great. ANd you can make a mint vinegar and vodka was well. Dry it. But you do know that the mint family spreads by root runners and you literally have to cut it out of your garden, yes? Thu May 24 21:16:57 -0700 2007 2600502 61669 Quine 1 2600566 Hmmmm, the perfect reason why one should always grow mint in a pot rather than in the ground. Will it come back after wintered over, you bet! Mine comes back right in the pot every spring and i don't have to worry about it spreading where i don't want it. BTW mint is fabulous in fresh fruit ambrosa, sans the whipped cream, who need it? Just frest fruit of your choice, sliced, frest mint chopped and shredded coconut. Fabulous! Thu May 24 21:32:33 -0700 2007 2600502 60401 leahvh 2 2601115 Depends on where you live. My pot-planted mint refuses to return after the winter. I have just gone out and bought new plants to replace them. Will plant one in the big pot again, but have planted the others in corners where they can go crazy without bothering anyone. Fri May 25 07:04:34 -0700 2007 2600566 12383 Nyleve 1 2601133 I love Moroccan mint tea and drink it whenever I end up with fresh mint. To make it, put a big handful of fresh mint leaves and stalks in a teapot. Add 1 T. of green tea leaves and 1 oz. sugar. Fill the pot with boiling water and brew for 5 minutes. (I don't like sugar in tea so I leave it out but traditionally the Moroccan's make it with sugar). Fri May 25 07:09:14 -0700 2007 2600502 19464 ohromujici 2 2601254 Yes, mint tea is the perfect use for a glut of mint. I use quite a bit of mint at a time and find it to be a wonderful digestive after dinner. The green tea adds a nice dimension to balance the menthol-y flavor. I make mine in a French press which I find to work well. Fri May 25 07:52:50 -0700 2007 2601133 10371 Carb Lover 1 2601360 I also have mint volunteers, no matter how much I rip up, it always comes back. Don't know how much you like to cook, but mint is great in the following: --a salad with cold roasted beets, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts --fresh peas or pea soup --marinated baby artichokes with lemon --Thai basil chicken but with mint, ask, I have a recipe --herb salad (mixed in with baby lettuces and/or other fresh herbs) Can you tell I love to cook? Fri May 25 08:31:13 -0700 2007 2600502 13445 Louise 2 2607471 If you have a moment, could you give us an idea of how you make the artichokes and mint? I currently have a bunch of both, but I'm very new to cooking artichokes and any guidance is much appreciated! Mon May 28 06:54:29 -0700 2007 2601360 39776 Minnow 3 2610029 Sure. I buy the baby artichokes, about the size of an egg. If you trim them well you can eat them whole as their choke is undeveloped. The way you do this, you break off the outside leaves until the remaining ones are pale yellow/green two thirds of the way up. Then you cut off the top of the artichoke, the dark green part. Then cut off the stem below the base. Then trim the outside of the base to remove any part that is dark green and looks fibrous. Keep a bowl/small pot of water with lemon juice and dip any cut part. When it is trimmed, throw it in the bowl and start on the next. This may seem like a lot of trimming but it is important to get rid of all the inedible parts, you will be eating it whole. When they are all done, put a couple of mint leaves in and some olive oil and salt and put the pot on to simmer, low. The artichokes will be cooked through in 5-10 minutes, test by poking the base with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate. Good cold or at room temp. Amount for 10-15 baby artichokes: 1 qt pan juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 c olive oil 1/4 t salt 1 sprig mint leaves water to cover, 1-2 c If you have larger artichokes, the trimming & cooking method is a little different, but you can still use mint, lemon, and olive oil in the cooking/steaming water. Tue May 29 09:06:03 -0700 2007 2607471 13445 Louise 1 2601706 I buy a lot of mint specially to make Mint Pilaf. I love that dish and can eat it all by itself or as a side. There are two different ways I make it. Take about a cup of mint, a small piece of ginger, a little onion, two green chillies, a clove of garlic, and a small spoon of yogurt (to add a touch of creaminess, though you can skip it if you want) and grind it all together into a paste. Take the ground paste and saute it lightly in a pan for a few minutes and add to any long grained rice (I use Basmati) and cook it together in the microwave. Salt the dish to your preference. Another way to do it is: Saute fresh mint along with the rest of the ingredients till the leaves wilt to a dark green color and then grind it. Mix it with pre-cooked white or brown rice, salt it, and it should taste great. Fri May 25 10:11:46 -0700 2007 2600502 22356 nuttie_cat 1 2601852 I'll echo cooling mint beverages - teas, lemonades, limeades. How about a granita? You don't need an ice cream maker. Or mint ice cubes, or mint-lemon popsicles? When we were little we made our own Italian ices in Dixie cups in the freezer and that wouldn't take up a lot of space. Freeze some watermelon cubes and then pop in blender with lime juice, orange juice, and mint for a refreshing treat. Rhubarb-mint soda. Boil down some rhubarb with sugar into syrup and add with the mint to some sparkling water or seltzer. Mint in fruit salads with hot cayenne adds complexity of flavor -- I love this when traveling in Latin America. good luck! Fri May 25 10:54:35 -0700 2007 2600502 56490 foxy fairy 1 2601915 Mojitos! Rice with mint & feta is amazingly good. I got my recipe from my father, but this one looks identical http://www.lowellfarms.com/fetamint.html. The pine nuts are optional, and we use much more mint. The trick is to wait until the last minute to stir in the mint. Fri May 25 11:07:54 -0700 2007 2600502 23853 Christnp 1 2601942 A salad of beautiful ripe tomatoes, mint and white onions with a light olive oil/lemon dressing is surprisingly delicious. Like, eat piles of it at a summer barbecue delicious. Fri May 25 11:14:15 -0700 2007 2600502 12539 NeNePie 1 2601978 Make a big batch of mint simple syrup - it'll keep and it'll give you that lovely fresh mint flavor all summer. Someone suggested a granita and that would be great. Champagne makes a great granita when paired with mint or basil and a handful of sugar. No ice cream maker required. And have a big party and serve mojitos!!! Fri May 25 11:22:26 -0700 2007 2600502 71196 dalaimama 1 2603751 Make some Indian style mint and coriander relish (chutney) and freeze it. It's good with darn near everything! Sat May 26 00:30:24 -0700 2007 2600502 23712 DiveFan 1 2605806 Good luck getting it out of your raised bed. Any little bit of root that you leave behind will regenerate into a new stem and send out its next sprout. It's easy to pull out, but hard to ever really get rid of it. Sun May 27 08:54:12 -0700 2007 2600502 73520 markethej 1 2605837 Mint wine http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques55.asp http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request222.asp It is also good as a substitute for lettuce in a sandwich, especially a mayo-based one like tuna or chicken. A BTM (bacon, tomato, mint) is good too. Sun May 27 09:14:17 -0700 2007 2600502 10264 rworange 2 2610268 YUM! Serendipitously, I spotted this mint-in-sandwich idea as I headed into the kitchen to make my lunch. It turned out to be a zesty little addition to my honey ham and provolone with dijon and mayo. I added about five smallish leaves to the sandwich and it really transformed my lunch into something special! Each bite really pops with the mint highlighting the bite in the ham and provolone and countering the creaminess of the spread. Tue May 29 10:07:45 -0700 2007 2605837 56490 foxy fairy 3 2612167 Funny this subject should come up. We had some leftover mint chutney, and today my husband insisted it would be good on his turkey sandwhich. So here was his creation: Smoked deli-sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, a sprinkle of salt, mayo and mint chutney on toasted sourdough. Seriously, that was one of the best sandwhiches I've eaten in a long time!!! When I run out of the chutney I'm going to try the leaves..... Tue May 29 20:20:04 -0700 2007 2610268 10290 janetofreno 1 2605845 Good luck getting rid of the mint. It's extremely invasive and hard to eradicate. As you've now learned the hard way, mint should only be grown in pots! Anyway, back to mint recipes. I like to rub a boned leg of lamb with a sort of "pesto" containing fresh mint, fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. (You can whizz it up in a food processor to make a paste.) Slather it all over the meat and throw it in a large zip-top bag for 2 hours to overnight. Grill it over charcoal until medium-rare... yum. Great with fresh pita bread and tzatziki. Seriously, however, I wouldn't worry about just throwing the mint away. Trust me, you will never be short of mint. Your problem will be pulling it out constantly! Sun May 27 09:16:47 -0700 2007 2600502 95434 free101girl 1 2605847 sachets. Althou not a edible product...if you stuff a few small pillow cases or pillow linerse with your mint harvest you will have a fresh mint sachet for weeks. Sun May 27 09:18:10 -0700 2007 2600502 36312 HillJ 2 2605900 Good point, and I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it. Dried mint is handy for lots of things. Just cut it close to the ground, tie it in bunches and hang it in a dry place. Sun May 27 09:44:38 -0700 2007 2605847 95434 free101girl 1 2606198 I've been known to overbuy mint, never as much as you have though. However, here are a few more ideas that I will probably tap into on my next impulse buy. They involve more than a sprig or teaspoon of mint. Here's how to dry mint in the microwave and other tips http://vava.essortment.com/mintrecipes_rylo.htm I will warn you having played with drying herbs in the microwave to watch them. I set fire to the paper towels once. To me it was time-consuming. You can reduce a huge amount of herbs, but all that crumbling them ... bored the heck out of me Lots of recipes out there for stuffing whole fish with mint. This one for trout stuffed with mint and orange looked good. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/trout-stuffed-with-fresh-mint-and-orange-recipe.htm Mint chutney http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/chutneys/mint2.html Fresh mint liquor http://www.brewerylane.com/liqueurs/recipes/fresh-mint-liqueur.html A couple of ideas ... the lime-mint iced tea sounds good http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/FCS/Crafts&CulinaryInterests/Culinary/Herbs/Good%20Herbs%20in%20the%20Kitchen.htm Some nice mint recipes http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/mint.html Fresh mint truffles http://leitesculinaria.com/recipes/jbh/mint_truffles.html Sun May 27 12:28:41 -0700 2007 2600502 10264 rworange 1 2606476 I bought a delicious spearmint sugar at a Farmers Market a few weeks ago. It appears to be dried mint pulverized with sugar. I had some on fresh strawberries this morning. Delicious! Sorry about your veggie bed. Good luck getting rid of the mint. I have my mint in a pot on my patio and my raised veggie bed is clear across the garden-- once that mint gets in the ground, it just wants to take over. Sun May 27 15:06:01 -0700 2007 2600502 11992 roxhills 1 2607145 I recently had the infamous "mint love letters" dish at Babbo, and it was wonderful and I think not totally impossible to replicate: it was ravioli with fresh mint and lamb sausage. I think you could buy wonton wrappers and make this as ravioli, but I also think that freshly chopped mint mixed into purchased lamb sausage would be delicious over pasta, which is of course less work. Second idea -- vietnamese spring rolls, which I love making and eating, are so good with mint in them, and are fresh and light and summery... Last - if you do have extra and dont like to throw things away, just chop it up, and put it into an ice cube tray with a little water over it and you'll be able to use it later - would make amazing cubes for mojitos and juleps for the rest of the summer! Sun May 27 22:23:24 -0700 2007 2600502 11485 Adrienne 1 2607157 Dry it out make tea.I add some to my morning coffee with Hyssop talk about going in 3 directions at once. Sun May 27 22:27:41 -0700 2007 2600502 98401 widehomehi 1 2607636 "I need to get rid of it so that I can grow some actual vegetables," Yep, you said it! While you're sipping those Juleps, that Imperialist Mint has designs on more than your 15 square foot raised bed. It has likely already sent out roots everywhere - under the paths and lawn, far and wide. It can grow under concrete and spring up yards away. Print out all these terrific recipes. Harvest some of this mint for them. Pot up some more and place it far away - preferably in solitary confinement on concrete so it can't escape. And then get serious. The gardening equivalent of going nuclear is Roundup. It works as a super-fertilizer that overfeeds a plant and forces it to use all of its energy to grow too fast, too quickly and sort of commit suicide. If you pull up the mint, you'll leave thousand of tiny roots to sprout again everywhere. When the mint is completely dry and dead, pull up as much of the dead mint as you can, till the bed deeply and plant good vegetables. In a bed that size you can grow 4 Roma tomatoes on a tepee, 100 red onion sets, more than enough basil, several other herbs, maybe 2 pepper plants. I've done that. You will still have plenty of mint from the stuff that's going to be popping up all over your garden from the roots that have likely been sent out from that flourishing bed just this Spring. So keep all these good recipes. You'll want them. Most of my gardening is for cooking but sometimes it's warfare. Mon May 28 08:30:05 -0700 2007 2600502 32444 MakingSense 2 2607734 Mint, my Waterloo in my former home in Modesto! I had so much of it that there was no way to use it all. Mint with cucumber slices is very nice in cold water. A great substitute for iced tea. Beware-- never, never plant mint in the ground, only in a container. The runners can go on forever, the roots can be up to a feet deep. I learned this the hard way one summer when it took me a week to dig out a 4 x 4 ft square area of mint. At least I smelled very nice for the week.... Humm perhaps it goes well in bath water... Mon May 28 09:27:17 -0700 2007 2607636 55542 drmimi 3 2607930 Pretty drastic measure - selling your house in Modesto to get rid of your mint! Love the stuff but some folks just don't understand the consequences when they buy that pretty little plant at the nursery, do they? The worst part is that the better quality the mint variety, the more invasive it is. I use it as filler in vases with garden flowers and the danged stuff roots in the water in a few days time. Mon May 28 10:51:22 -0700 2007 2607734 32444 MakingSense 2 2609982 So true! Mine was a suprise arrival as well. It is perfectly happy sending out five and ten foot runners in the grooves between my cement tiles. No matter how much I rip out it is like the cat...you thought it was a goner but the cat came back the very next day! Tue May 29 08:51:24 -0700 2007 2607636 13445 Louise 1 2607991 If you have room to dry it, you can use the dried stuff to make tea. Once thouroughly dried it can keep at least 6 months, before the flavor stars to fade. If you dry all of it you can then give it away to friends, neighbours, random people on the street. Very soothing no caffine beverage, hot or cold. Mon May 28 11:19:14 -0700 2007 2600502 34604 sweetie 1 2608017 Your post is so timely! I just made the most to-die-for Mojito Slushies last night with *my* surplus of mint! I promise you, these are the most refreshing and delicious summer drinks you can imagine. I am pasting the URL link below, but just in case it doesn't come through, go to Food TV's website and search on "mojito slushies". Be sure you pick the Tyler Florence recipe, and not the Racheal Ray one. I promise you (+ your family/ friends) will not be disappointed! http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_27204,00.html?rsrc=search Mon May 28 11:35:56 -0700 2007 2600502 101616 Tehama 1 2608897 Family Mint sauce recipe: - Pick off a bunch of leaves (as you might basil) and discard the woody stems. - Finely chop leaves (add a little salt right now if you'd like to draw out flavor) - Combine with a little water and vinegar (for a salsa like consistency) and sugar - if desired - and let it sit and get happy... 10 to 24 hrs. My twists: - make the water hot, so the mint seeps a bit like tea (ready to eat much sooner) - use a darker vinegar or really good balsamic to create a deeper flavor - it need not be as thick as pesto - wetter/runnier is fine Usage: On any lamb. Roasts, chops, leg, etc. Drizzle on when plating - or better let your guests garnish their own plate based on personal tastes. Stick it in a bowl like gravy, etc. to be passed around. When we do Sunday roast dinners, I end up pouring a good chunk on the veggies, potato, gravy, etc. Mon May 28 19:00:46 -0700 2007 2600502 15036 tastyjon 1 2609389 Vietnamese cuisine, ranging from spring rolls to garnishes for pho, Vietnamese chicken rice and bun. Tue May 29 00:09:17 -0700 2007 2600502 10763 Miss Needle 1 2609539 There's one condiment - I don't remember the name of it - that they serve at Middle-Eastern restaurants that's nothing without plenty of mint. I know you drain yogurt to make it thick, then add finely chopped (seeded, salted to remove excess water) cucumbers, and mint. Use it to top nan (bread, sort of like pita), rice, anything for a gread Mid-east spin. You can also make a similar dish w/o yogurt - I think you use cucumber, mint, vinegar, a little sugar. You can top it with dried sumac (another salt-or-sour-like condiment from the Mid-east grocery) and it's really good. Tue May 29 05:23:29 -0700 2007 2600502 70510 xnyorkr 1 2610162 Among other things I've tried with my mint surplus: Honeydew-mint popsicles Lots of mint in spring rolls Mint "plantation" tea (google it) Mint in yogurt Tue May 29 09:40:51 -0700 2007 2600502 94443 delaneymae 1 2610868 Thanks for all your great recipes and suggestions; you've been very helpful. I ended up making something like 2 gallons of STRONG mint simple syrup, which I bottled and offered to friends at a Memorial Day picnic. Whew! Most of it's gone... Tue May 29 12:58:48 -0700 2007 2600502 12456 Euonymous 1 2610878 you can contact some local asian grocery stores. There are many in florida that buy their mint and other herbs from local home growers. Tue May 29 13:01:46 -0700 2007 2600502 72837 travelnfood 2 2610926 If you want to plant mint in the ground if you live in an area where it won't overwinter in a pot.... drill a fewholes in the bottom of a rubbermaid container for drainage, plant the mint in the container and plant the container in the ground leaving a 1-2 in lip above ground. Tue May 29 13:14:47 -0700 2007 2610878 86233 applejuice 3 2611005 Plastic becomes brittle and cracks after a few years, especially if there is any freezing at all. The roots of the mint will escape through the smallest crack and enlarge it. They will likely escape through the drainage hole in any case. It also sends out runners so it may jump the lip. You can't plant mint in the ground unless you are prepared to let it take over the area where you plant it or keep fighting it back. It's just an invasive plant. Tue May 29 13:38:48 -0700 2007 2610926 32444 MakingSense 1 2612174 My mint chutney recipe: 1 bunch mint, washed and coursely chopped 1 bnch cilantro, ditto 1/2 onion, ditto juice of one lime one jalapeno, seeded and chopped salt to taste 1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 tsp coriander powder Put everything in a food processor, add about a quarter cup of water, and process until desired consistency. Add a little water while processing if necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings. Tue May 29 20:24:49 -0700 2007 2600502 10290 janetofreno 1 2617234 Just came across this on recipezaar. This will help you get rid of 2 tablespoons of mint, at least. http://www.recipezaar.com/231393 Thu May 31 10:26:17 -0700 2007 2600502 70510 xnyorkr