Mint…just hearing the name refreshes you ! As summer is just around the corner I am definitely going to be adding a healthy dose of this wonderful herb,in a lot of my food…it’s great in a salad,in a drink and pairs very well with robust flavours as well. Indian mint, Pudina ,as we call it, has been touted as a natural aid for digestion,many other stomach ailments and a breath freshner.
Mint of so many kinds are used all over the world.Peppermint ,spearmint and recently apple mint. In the olden days they were essentially used as room freshners,in Greece they were known as ‘the herb of hospitality’,people felt so welcome in a home where everything smelt so fresh and clean…students were made to wear it on their person as it was believed to have accelerated learning…today it is also used extensively in the field of aromatherapy…mint oils ,lotions ,soaps are scrubs are in constant demand,to keep the wearer ‘minty fresh’ all day long !!!
This is one flavour that finds itself in so many drinks ,from the sweet moroccon tea that is filled with mint leaves,the mint julep ,the mojito which are all palate cleansing and delicious.Creme de menthe is also used to make delicious cocktails like the grasshopper…recently I watched Nigella Lawson make a grasshopper pie and I’m eager to try making a modified version of it,as I’m not really a fan of minty desserts or mint chocolate !!!
This is one herb that requires very little maintenence,it’s a runner ,takes on a large amount of sunshine and just enough water…known to grow wild (which is perfect for summer!),if you want to contain it,it can be grown in shallow troughs with medium depth…to pluck a handful of mint and bring it into the kitchen to add to a dish…oh ! What joy !!!!
You should get started on that mint patch or a small pot of mint now,you’ll definitely thank me when summer is here…think mint sorbets (dessert exception), hammocks, long afternoon siestas and exciting fiction…the only way to get through summer,believe you me…at least until the holidays start…*wink* wink*
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