So you know there's that adage about turning lemons into lemonade? Well, over in Oakland, agirlandaboy has applied this concept to what might otherwise be a backyard menace: She turned overgrown mint leaves into delicious mint tea.
We have our fair share of mint in the backyard, and never even considered this option. Instead, we just cursed and complained a lot as we ripped out excessive amounts of mint from the ground. But now we can follow agirlandaboy's lead:
- Gather up the mint leaves.
- Rinse the leaves to remove any dirt and bugs.
- Pat dry the leaves, and then lay them out on a towel to dry further.
- Bake the leaves at 180°F, with the oven door open. They should become crispy and turn a dull sage color.
- Dry the leaves overnight.
- Store them in airtight containers in a dark spot.
- Put the leaves in a tea strainer and enjoy your homemade cup of tea!
More detailed instructions and witty commentary can be found at agirlandaboy.
Images: agirlandaboy
my kid and I make sun tea from our patch of mint. Always fresh and always needing a weeding. We pick the mint, wash it and stuff it into a glass gallon jar, put the lid on and set it into the sun. In about an hour (on a sunny day) we have tea. Sometimes we pick Borage (another garden weed, that is an amazingly beneficial herb) flowers and sprinkle them on top. In the Middle East, many cafe's will take fresh mint and pack it into a glass with sugar and pour boiling water over the leaves.
view little green's profile
Also fabulous is Mint Lemondade. You juice a bunch or two of mint and add to lemonade and presto, a refreshing drink! It tastes like a mojito without the alcohol. And it takes tons of mint to do it right, so if you've got a mint invasion, it's perfect!
view kitties!'s profile
Oh, I forgot to add that you can freeze the mint juice in ice cube trays and then add it to your beverages later, too.
view kitties!'s profile
I boiled sugar syrup and mint together and put it in pretty bottles and rented a snow cone machine for mint juleps for a wedding party. It was a smash.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
do you think the drying time/temp will work for other herbs (in order to make other infusions)?
view sanna's profile