what to do with a LOT of mint?

[Henrietta23]

I have a barrel o'mint in my backyard. I've dried some but I'm looking for other ideas. It's a number of different varieties; peppermint, spearmint, chocolate spearmint, orange mint and apple mint. One thing I'd like to learn how to do is make something like peppermint extract. Our 4 month old puppy HATES the smell of the mint and I've been able to rub leaves on certain things he chews and it works! Also would love recipes for things I could bottle for gifts, kind of like flavored vinegars, but does that work with mint?

 

[noobiechickenlady]

To make extract, take about a pound of fresh mint of your choice, wash well & bruise the leaves. You can squeeze em by hand, pound with a hammer, use a mortar & pestle, whatever you wish. Put into a quart canning jar and cover with the best quality vodka you can find. Not flavored vodka. Cover with lid & place in a sunny spot. Leave for 3-4 weeks, shaking occasionally, then strain the leaves out & discard. The vodka becomes the extract.

Mint juleps, makes 4
16 fresh mint sprigs
10 ounce bourbon whiskey
4tsp powdered sugar
8tsp water

Lightly crush mint leaves, place in glass with powdered sugar and water. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.

Add mint to your lemonade, mmmm.

Dry lots for tea. Especially good for head colds.

 

[big brown horse]

Mint juleps!! Mojitos!!

 

[Henrietta23]

Thanks!

 

[Henrietta23]

Hmmm, forgot about mint jelly!

 

[patandchickens]

Another way to approach the extract thing is to just take however much GOOD vodka you have or care to spare, put it in a clean glass container with extra headspace available, and then jam as much crushed fresh mint as you can possibly fit into there (Seriously. That way you don't have to fuss with measuring). It's not quite the same as commercial mint extract but it's GOOOOOD.

Other things to do with mint:

Make tabbouleh or however you personally prefer to spell it. (Soaked bulgur, buncha chopped mint, optionally also some chopped parsley, some lemon juice, buncha crushed or minced garlic. Mmmm!)

Make mint chutney (look in your favorite Indian cookbook for recipe)

Make mint jelly. Even if you don't like it yourself, you can make it to give as gifts.

Individual leaves, used with some moderation but less moderation than you might *think* it'd require, are good in green salads or mixed (oil and vinegar dressing, pasta or bean or grain) salads. Either small whole leaves, or cut into threads.

You can also chop up some mint leaves real fine and add to brownie batter just before putting it in the pan to bake. I've only ever used chocolate mint for this, which is *splendid*, but I'm sure other kinds would work yummily too. If you give the brownies to other people, you might want to clarify that the little green herby bits are MINT, darnit, just MINT

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[noobiechickenlady]

No really! I swear, officer! Smell it!

 

[Henrietta23]

Making brownies tonight! Mmmmmmmmm!

 

[freemotion]

Have a brownie with a mint julep! Make that a double!

 

[big brown horse]