Picked up some mints

[tifsgarden]

Thank you everyone for all the info...You all are so sweet!!! As far as the extracts I just take some clippings and roll them in a ball and kinda "bruise" the clippings, then I take a couple layers of cheese cloth and tie the ball -I would say about half a cup size-and put it in a quart size canning jar and pour vodka over it and let it hang out in my pantry for a couple months or so.You can add more or less clippings-depends on how strong you want the extract.My husband teases me and calls all my soaps and extract and homemade goodness stuff "Tifs Lotions and Potions". -

 

[tifsgarden]

I love the idea of putting some in with brownies....hehe, my hippy in-laws would love it!

 

[tifsgarden]

I keep Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate, Apple, Pineapple, Lebanese, Kentucky Colonel, Ginger (yellow/green variegated), Orange Mint, and Corsican (creme de menthe) not Winter hardy. They are all unique with distinct flavors.... I love the Ginger mint in Oriental cooking. The variegated Pineapple mint along with the pineapple sage, makes a wonderful tea...esp. if you add some of the Pineapple Sage's very sweet, red flowers to it. The mixes and blends to make wonderful teas are endless.

I will be on the lookout for this ginger mint you speak of-sounds interesting.I'm not much of a tea drinker as I am a coffee drinker but I have decided to start making some for when someone in the family gets a cold.Its alot less expensive than those cough drops and you get fluids in that you dont by taking cough drops.

 

[RustyDHart]

The Ginger Mint has a smooth, shiny leaf like the Orange, chocolate, and peppermints. The leaves have a yellow and green blended pattern....very colorful and very "Gingery". For some reason though....it's ALWAYS the last of my Mints to get going in the Spring...it's just a bit slow. My boss at "Circle Herb" Farm introduced me to the lesser known Mints and now I'm hooked forever. I'm sure you'd like it.

 

[seedcorn]

There is a farm field of mint not far from here now. My understanding is that it is harvested and sent to a processing plant for oil extraction.

During harvest, you can smell the mint for miles ! Well, a mile anyway.

There are quite a few acres of mint in eastern Oregon. I actually think that the plants are more happy somewhere with moist environment but for oil production, maybe it is best growing in arid conditions.

Steve

Was a lot around S. Bend, IN. Lot of them quit due to cheap imported oils from slave labor countries. Wrigley doesn't care where their oil comes from. Previous owners did.

 

[digitS']

Well Seedcorn, it doesn't surprise me that this area is competitive with slave labor . . .

Idaho is not doing much about enhancing its position either.

The state is 2nd to last in education spending per student and the legislature just made a major cut.

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

Mmm , I only have peppermint, spearmint and chocolate. I will be looking for some of the others and trying to make extracts and add to recipes. So far we have only dried and brewed them! And yes they are VERY aggresive. We give away lots of plants that have started up outiside the beds every summer. :mow

 

[skeeter9]

I grow my mint in a huge, shallow pot. It dies back every winter, then comes back beautifully in the spring. At our last house I made the mistake of putting it in a flower bed as a groundcover. Oops! It went everywhere, including under the sidewalk to invade the lawn. We spent several years trying to get rid of it. It is very persistent!!

Yes, Digits, I think mint does like moist areas because it grows wild here down in and along our creek in full water.

 

[JenEric Farms]

I just picked up some Chocolate Mint this weekend. We happened to pass by a little outside farmers market and checked it out. My 7 year old son found it and begged for it, I think he thought it would grow chocolate!

I was going to plant it in a deck rail container. Anyone think this will be an issue? Will it eventually fill the container? Also, can you plant different mints in the same container together?

 

[digitS']

There in Maine you will likely have to get your container in the ground and covered with a mulch to protect it from winter cold. Really, only little parts of this plant is alive and well each spring here. It isn't protected by mulch but grows in a very sheltered location. If we have a -20F winter, it wouldn't surprise me if the chocolate mint completely dies! Now for all of its problems with cold, it is a very robust summer grower!

The apple mint handles the cold just fine. Pretends to be just a "cute" plant . . . while it sneakily invades the lawn .

I wouldn't put them together. The chocolate would bully the apple mint. Spearmint and lemon balm should be able to hold their own thru the summer but I bet they'd strangle the chocolate mint before it struggles back to life in the spring.

Steve