the previous owners must have planted
mint no matter how many times I pull it
up it always seems to come back and
invade this area vinca right near the
chicken pen so this year I thought why
just pull it up and throw it away I'm
going to dry the leaves and use it in
some recipes so I'm going to just strip
the leaves off these stalks and now be
ready to dry them now that you have all
of your mint leaves picked need to wash
them and dry them so I put them under
the tap water in the calendar and then I
place them in my salad spinner and give
them a good spin until it takes off all
the excess water place the mint leaves
on your dehydrator tray leave room
around them to allow the air to
circulate put the tray in your
dehydrator and put it on a low
temperature it takes anywhere from 45
minutes to an hour plus to actually
dehydrate the leaves it depends on the
humidity when the mint leaves are
sufficiently dehydrated they should
easily crumble in your fingers after you
take your dried mint out of the
dehydrator you can put it in a canning
jar I vacuum packed the lid and now
it'll keep for a long long time
you also can decide to ground it up like
this and you simply do that this is your
dried leaf and your crackle and just
that's one of the ways you know that
you've dehydrated your leaves enough
because it should be very very crumbly
now you're all ready to use these in
recipes or for medicinal purpose
freshly chopped mint leaves add a zest
to fresh fruit and vegetable salads
yogurt dressing dips and spreads fine
restaurants often serve a mint sorbet to
clear their patrons palate between
courses mint is also added to new
potatoes spring peas and carrots for
flavoring and garnish it is also a
pantry staple in many ethnic kitchens in
the United States it is traditional to
serve a mint jelly or mint sauce with
lamb to counteract a strong flavor of
the meat this sauce consists of
combining dried mint vinegar and sugar
and caramelizing over low heat the
leaves and flowers of mint can also be
candied or used as lovely garnishes mint
is traditionally used in drinks such as
hot tea iced tea fruit drinks and
alcoholic beverages young people are
very familiar with mint and mojitos but
let's not forget the classic mint julep
cocktail all you need is 4 to 5 leaves
of fresh mint a highball glass 1
tablespoon fine sugar 1 tablespoon water
and 2 fluid ounces of bourbon whiskey
you just crush the mint along with the
sugar and water until the sugar is
completely dissolved in your highball
glass this will extract the flavor of
the mint then you add your bourbon and
fill the glass with crushed ice you want
to stir until the outside of the glass
is frosted of course decorate it with a
sprig of mint perfection in a glass okay
I confess mint did not kill this mouse
our cat peeped it however the scent of
mint is said to repel rodents ants flies
and fleas just place the sachets or tea
bags filled with dried mint leaves in
infested areas or place these bags at
pest points of entry you can also use
mint cuttings as a mulch around members
of the Brassica family such as cabbage
brussel sprouts or broccoli this is said
to prevent white cabbage moths from
laying their eggs on your plans
unfortunately these eggs hatch
become cabbage worms so anything you can
do to prevent it is good now I usually
prefer to use the tool covered cage
approach but I am going to try this with
one of my cabbage plants to see if it
will really work the summer mint has
strong antibiotic properties and is
commonly used in herbal remedies meant
to ease into Jess tchen irritable bowel
syndrome heartburn flatulence cramps
bloating diarrhea nausea and sore
throats drinking a cup of mint tea
before or after meals often helps ease
the symptoms of indigestion however some
people have the opposite reaction it
actually increases indigestion and
heartburn so you be the judge
okay you're now ready to make the mint
tincture it's as easy as can be you just
take your fresh mint leaves and you want
to kind of rub them crumple them up the
idea is you're going to do that to
release the oils and you can tear them
too but I prefer doing it this way so do
this until you fill the jar now don't
compact your leaves too much because you
want to have room for the next
ingredient which is vodka I'm using the
cheapest vodka I can find because really
it doesn't matter this is only an agent
to help preserve it be a carrier for the
oil so just pour it in okay you're right
about the top then just put on a lid now
you're going to want to store that for
at least six weeks after six weeks you
can check on it does it smell real minty
it should be almost overpowering you
could also taste it once it's at the
stage you want it you drain it through
cheesecloth coffee filter whatever you
want and you just keep the clear liquid
and you can put it one of those Brown
tubes of the little stopper in them
which is nice for applying the actual
tincture itself should keep really
indefinitely because of the addition of
the vodka now you have a homemade mint
tincture that you can use when any when
your family has indigestion or other
problems mint is add too many cleaning
products due to its refreshing scent
antibiotic properties and because it is
a natural pest deterrent you can make a
simple mint tea from the dried leaves
and use this to wash your windows not
only does it smell good but it also
discourages flies you can use your dried
mint or your mint tincture to make a
variety of bath and beauty products
including soap
just search on the internet for
countless homemade cosmetics using mint
you can make lip balms face masks facial
cleansers mouthwash hair products etc if
you want to make your own minty
mouthwash all you have to do is steep 4
tablespoons of chopped fresh mint leaves
in one quart of boiling water let it
cool and then refrigerate once chills
drain the mixture and keep in a bottle
in the refrigerator next time you see
mint maybe you won't view it as a
nuisance plant instead it's a very
useful herb this is prepper potpourri
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