634321 Mon Jul 06 10:49:32 -0700 2009 30 31 Home Cooking 0 4833452 I have a TON of mint growing in my garden. I think it is peppermint, but I'm not positive. I use it when cooking a lot (mint pesto, mixed with fruit, in salads, in marinades, etc), but a little goes a long way. I'm looking for other ideas to use up my enormous amount of mint. I made mint infused gin last year. It was great, but again it just took a little bit of mint. I am trying to think WAY outside the box, here! Sauces that can be frozen? Infusions? Home remedies? Drinks? Anything! Mon Jul 06 10:49:32 -0700 2009 234081 maslovma 1 4833497 you can freeze herbs: http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/FreezeHerbs.htm mint jelly if you eat lamb? Mon Jul 06 11:04:28 -0700 2009 4833452 181498 littlew1ng 1 4833502 this actually belongs on the Home Cooking board - i sent a request to the moderators to mive it. in the meantime, a simple search of said board turns up TONS of ideas: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/534114 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/405004 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/343366 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/278713 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/441013 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/488486 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/283506 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/520423 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/547064 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/426282 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/312409 Mon Jul 06 11:05:29 -0700 2009 4833452 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4833519 Sorry about that... thanks for requesting that this be moved. And thanks for the links! Mon Jul 06 11:09:31 -0700 2009 4833502 234081 maslovma 3 4833579 Mojitos! Mon Jul 06 11:25:39 -0700 2009 4833519 120373 hangrygirl 4 4837289 Ditto! Yumm! Tue Jul 07 14:01:02 -0700 2009 4833579 161178 inagail 3 4833714 happy to help. i find it's always best to do a search before posting a query, because 99% of the time at least one other Hound has had the same question or problem! oh, and one more idea for your mint if you want a non-alcoholic drink...muddle some in a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Mon Jul 06 11:56:52 -0700 2009 4833519 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 4833720 strawberry-mint lemonade, with or without vodka Mon Jul 06 11:59:10 -0700 2009 4833452 217807 cheesecake17 1 4833903 See if you can sell it to a local bar or middle Eastern restaurant for their drinks or dishes! Mon Jul 06 12:43:43 -0700 2009 4833452 50613 weezycom 2 4835327 If you really are looking to use up (or unload) a large quantity of mint, weezycom might be on to something here. Similarly, are there local markets that might want to sell small bunches of fresh herbs? Don't have a clue if there are health code issues or not. Mon Jul 06 21:04:18 -0700 2009 4833903 81822 Old Spice 2 4835767 Good idea. If I had really large quantities, I'd approach my local greengrocer who I know will barter for small quantities of home grown products - we get some great plums once a year from him, that have been grown in one of the gardens in the village. Tue Jul 07 05:38:21 -0700 2009 4833903 154102 Harters 1 4834482 I grow three sorts of mint so am never short of supply either. It freezes reasonably well but does lose some of the flavour. In the past, I've made a mint and apple relish - I've no recipe but quantities were something like a kilo of apples (chopped), a lot of mint (finely chopped), sugar and cider vinegar. Like most of these styles of relish, it'll easily last a couple of years in the cupboard as it's packed with the preservatives. Mon Jul 06 15:27:19 -0700 2009 4833452 154102 Harters 1 4834607 So, we had these 'Summer Rolls' at a fusion sushi place- they had the vermicelli noodles, shrimp, a few mint leaves rolled up in rice paper and came with a peanut dipping sauce. They were very, very tasty- I let my husband know I could TOTALLY whip these up at home once we start our herb garden again. He normally shuns the rice paper (he doesn't like the texture) but these were winners. Have you seen those chocolate dipped mint leaves? Gorgeous. http://www.ameliarope.com/chocolate/mint.html Mon Jul 06 16:08:39 -0700 2009 4833452 110426 Boccone Dolce 2 4835981 A friend of mine makes vegetarian summer rolls (tofu instead of shrim) for her kids. They think it's the coolest thing ever- that the paper is see thru and all the veggies shine thru. Tue Jul 07 07:05:45 -0700 2009 4834607 217807 cheesecake17 1 4835015 MINT ICED TEA 1. Bring 2.5 quarts water to boil. 2. Add about six stalks worth of fresh mint leaves to the water and boil for 10 min. 3. Remove from heat and let the leaves steep for 20 min. 4. Strain water into another container and add 1/4 cup honey. 5. Chill well, and serve over ice. Mon Jul 06 18:54:27 -0700 2009 4833452 92324 Foodie in Friedberg 1 4835039 Mojitos. Mint chutney. Fresh spring rolls. Mon Jul 06 19:01:45 -0700 2009 4833452 233517 Miss Mac 1 4835772 Also only requires a little but I've made mint sugar cookies and mint fudge. Tue Jul 07 05:40:08 -0700 2009 4833452 169792 lgss 1 4835894 On Sunday I visited friends who had an enormous stand of mint growing in the back yand, so I returned home with many tall stalks of mint. I used it all up by making a batch of mint iced tea and also, since I was lucky enough to have bulgur wheat on hand, a big bowl of tabbouli. Tue Jul 07 06:33:03 -0700 2009 4833452 14171 Pumpkinseed 1 4836917 Just concoted my own recipe for mint chutney, because i had so much mint myself. I used 3 cups mint/2 cups cilantro/a sprinkle of sugar (honey might be nice)/ a jalapeno/ lemon juice/salt and pepper. Put in food processor, puree. I use it as a dip for bread (especially good with na'an), veggies, even tortilla chips. Tue Jul 07 12:16:16 -0700 2009 4833452 165381 BeckyAndTheBeanstock 1 4837127 My wife has a family recipe with a well thought-out name: Orange Mint Drink. Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice, Mint, and Simple Syrup - Let Steep (Don't know the ratios, will have to get back to you) Mix with club soda and Vodka....And the OMD Syrup itself will keep for awhile in the fridge... tommyskitchen.com Tue Jul 07 13:21:08 -0700 2009 4833452 286249 tommyskitchen 1 4837205 We grow ours pretty much exclusively for ice cream. I don't even really like commercial mint ice cream and I love the stuff I make. You steep the leaves and stalks in the hot milk/cream for about an hour and the flavour and colour really come out. I made a fantastic mint fudge ripple this weekend by layering the still soft ice cream with some good fudge sauce. Tue Jul 07 13:39:27 -0700 2009 4833452 139219 Sooeygun 2 4838046 Works even better with a chocolate base for mint chocolate ice cream. The ice cream with real mint is so much better than what you buy. No comparison. Tue Jul 07 18:49:34 -0700 2009 4837205 123744 karykat 1 4838156 Had to put Round-Up on most of mine, got WAY out of hand. Tue Jul 07 19:30:07 -0700 2009 4833452 140140 mrbigshotno.1 1 4839535 Lemon-Mint Granita http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/lemon-mint-granita/ Can't get easier or more refreshing than that! I have a bunch of mint too that is slowly going to waste so I have bookmarked this page. So far I have made mint iced tea and added it to some cucumber raita. Not too exciting, but this thread has inspired me! Wed Jul 08 09:15:37 -0700 2009 4833452 286453 lfirebrand 1 4841976 After you finish working hard in your garden, get some of that minty gin, draw yourself a hot bath, and throw a bunch of mint stems into it. The bath and the bathroom will smell wonderful and it's very relaxing.... So is the gin. You deserve it, after gardening... Wed Jul 08 21:26:03 -0700 2009 4833452 32444 MakingSense 2 4844134 This is a wonderful idea! The gin and the minty bath. Thu Jul 09 14:18:19 -0700 2009 4841976 123744 karykat 1 4842884 I make a sauce of chopped mint and basil, with some olive oil and chopped garlic and use it on legs of lamb (brush it on while cooking and serve with a puddle on the side). one batch will use two or three healthy handfuls of mint--the ratio of mint to basil important. I also bruise a big handful and scald with milk or cream as a base for ice cream or for pastry cream to line summer fruit tarts (it turns the cream a kind of gray-green so I try to cover as much of it as possible with fruit). Thu Jul 09 08:18:43 -0700 2009 4833452 164177 Erika L 2 4844132 Epicurious has a tart recipe (strawberry I think) with a pastry cream with infused mint. It does turn the pastry cream a little greenish. Fabulous flavor that goes well with the fruit. Let me know if you want me to find that one. Thu Jul 09 14:17:47 -0700 2009 4842884 123744 karykat 2 4867265 I mix 1/4 cup each olive oil, balsamic V, lemon juice, and add 4 minced garlic sloves, 2 tbls mustard, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup chopped mint, 2 tbls chopped rosemary. Marinate butterflied leg of lamb in this, then grill, 15-20 minutes per side...delish Fri Jul 17 08:56:34 -0700 2009 4842884 207515 jessicaharper 1 4867275 Here's my family's favorite recipe for Mint Iced Tea, great to have on hand in the summer: http://thecrabbycook.com/?p=90 Fri Jul 17 08:58:46 -0700 2009 4833452 207515 jessicaharper 1 4867359 Instant mint tea at work, uses up gobs if you do this a couple of times a day. Stuff a glass full of mint stalks and one green tea bag. Fill with water. Microwave for 3 minutes. Let it steep for 10 minutes or longer if you happen to be on a call or in a meeting. Drink warm or poured over ice. Fri Jul 17 09:26:59 -0700 2009 4833452 280735 tcamp