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Mint a hardy perennial, comes in many varieties such as spearmint (my favorite), peppermint, applemint, pineapplemint, orangemint, chocolatemint, horsemint, English pennyroyal, and many others. Basil, marjoram and summer savory although not an actual Mertha variety, are still considered part of the mint family. Instead of growing mint from seeds, it is best grown from cuttings or plants, which can be found at nurseries or perhaps from a friend.
In order to grow mint it will require a well drained area with lots of water. Mint does the best if it can get some shade during the day. I once planted mint on the east side of a bush. It received morning sun and afternoon shade and grew well in this setting. Adding compost around mint a couple times during the growing season will benefit it much more than fertilizer.
Mint is an invasive plant and can quickly take over your herb garden, crowding out the other plants. You can grow it in a pot of put a barrier around it deep in the soil to prevent it from wandering. If you grow several varieties of mint, make sure you plant them very far away from each other. I did not do this the first time I planted mints and they grew together causing all of them to not have their own distinct flavors. They all tasted the same with none being the more dominant.
Harvest mint in mid-morning right before it flowers and cut right above the spot where leaves come out of the stem. The mint will soon grow more sprigs after this cutting. In the fall, you may want to not cut mint as far down on the stem or as often. This will help it survive the cold winter weather that lay ahead.
Mint can be dried or frozen. Dry mint the same way you would any herb, except that after you wash it, you should try to get all the moisture off of it as quickly as possible. You can accomplish this by placing it in layers of paper towels or putting it in the microwave. I also learned the hard way on this. I did not dry my washed mint right away and the water droplets caused black spots on the leaves.
To freeze mint, just put the washed and dried mint in airtight freezer containers or bags and put them in your freezer. They will be wilted when you take them out, but their flavor and color will be intact to be added to those special mint dishes.
There is nothing like a nice mint julep on a hot summers evening while relaxing with friends and neighbors on your patio or deck. The recipe is a favorite of mine.
Ingredients:
¼ cup of fresh mint leaves
2 cups of heated water
2 cups of sugar
Cracked ice
Kentucky bourbon
You first have to make the syrup which you do by dissolving the sugar in the water over medium heat. Remove from heat and add mint leave. Allow to steep at least 20 minutes.
If you have silver mint julep cups, that’s great but glass tumblers will work just as well. Add cracked ice to tumblers and 1 ½ oz. of Kentucky Bourbon. Fill rest of glass with mint syrup and garnish top with fresh mint leaves. The drink is traditional served with two straws.
If you prefer, you can leave the bourbon out.
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Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/110407/agnes_farside.html
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