Overabundance of MINT - any ideas??

[baby-makes-3]

I have mint all over my garden and would love some way to use it up instead of just pulling it. Any ideas???

[taramoon13]

wow that's a tough one. have a mojito/mint julep party!!??! some pesto recipes call for mint along with other herbs, you could make up a bunch and freeze it. hard to think of many things that use a lot of mint!

[raksmama]

Mint is a staple in our house.

Authentic Lebanese Tabouli calls for:
3 Bunches of Italian Parsley
1 Bunch of fresh mint
3 tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup soaked bulgar wheat
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Mint is good in all kinds of salads!

You can try it with cucumbers in Yogurt with a little garlic

You can add chopped mint to Lemonade. It is very yummy!

What you have left over you can dry and use as seasonings

[KristyDi]

Add it to fruit salad
put it in iced tea
mint jelly

[stephienoodle]

I'm right there with you, with the abundance of mint. I can't give it away fast enough, and I fear putting it in my compost because the darned stuff will just root in there...

Anyhow, I made mint chocolate chip ice cream for my DH. I used about a cup of fresh leaves to make a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. I threw them in the blender with a little bit of milk and chopped them up nice and fine. DH thought it was great.

[artemis33]

Originally Posted by taramoon13

wow that's a tough one. have a mojito/mint julep party!!??!

That's what I was thinking!

I'm envious - our lemon balm is crowding out our mint (if you can imagine that) and I haven't had a chance to pull it since I recently had a baby!

I like to dry it on very low heat in the oven (or in a dehydrator) and use it for tea.

[Llyra]

I dry it by putting it on a cookie sheet in the hatchback of my car, on a hot day, out of direct sunlight. The car on a hot day gets to the perfect temperature for drying herbs.

Then I put it in little jelly jars, and put pretty labels on it, and give it away at Christmas time as Mint Tea, with a little tea ball to go with it. It makes a nice gift.

I do the same with oregano-- put it in little jars, along with a jar of dried hot peppers and a jar of dried basil, and call it a "pizza topping kit."

[cristeen]

Mint jelly, mint pesto, mint tea are the three that came to mind first.

But you can also make mint liqueur, mint extract, Mint chimichurri, mint syrup, mint chocolate sauce, etc. I even found a recipe for a minted pineapple lime marmalade that looked yummy.

[baby-makes-3]

Oooh!! Fabulous ideas! Thanks!

(I have a liqueur cookbook -- didn't think about that!! Yummy...)

[HeliMom]

I love minted peas!

[Drummer's Wife]

Lots and lots of Mojitos.

oh, now I see tara already gave you that idea.

[JessicaS]

What I really love is just taking a bunch of mint and mashing it up a bit in a big tea pitcher and then just pouring cold water over it

It is slightly flavored not sweet mint water.

I love it I drink a pitcher a day.

[Lizafava]

One of the tastiest and prettiest things I ever made was an indian curry that I finished with about half a quart of plain yogurt into which I had coarsely pureed many handfuls of mint. The color combo of the bright green mint, turmeric and white yogurt was just stunning.

Lots of mint sun tea? Thats what my mother used to do. I drink lots of herb water - like another poster, just herbs in cold water. Lemon balm and mint are my fave.

[cristeen]

I totally forgot to tell you what I tend to do when I have a bunch of mint that's going to go to waste. I make mint honey. We use it instead of mint jelly - no white sugar and it takes a fraction of the time to make. Bruise/rough chop your mint, pack it into a jar, heat your honey up, pour it into the jar, being sure you don't have air bubbles. Let it cool. Makes a fabulous sauce for lamb, or goes great in tea.

[odenata]

Citrus salad with mint is super yummy. Grapefruit and orange segments mixed with yogurt, honey and mint.

And mint juleps are fantastic. Yum.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by odenata

And mint juleps are fantastic. Yum.

Yum.

[mbm]

Thai mint leaf chicken is my main reason for keeping mint around in the first place!

[akwifeandmomma]

I have a TON of mint growing near the creek behind our house. Thank you!

[Arduinna]

I usually make a pot of mint tea with it when mine goes crazy. I do love looking with dried mint too.

[Astrea]

Ooh, Thai mint chicken? I've never heard of that. Any chance of the recipe?

I recently discovered that mint is great in Greek salad. Lots of chopped up mint and lots of chopped up parsley, plus all the usual ingredients. So tasty!