Chocolate Mint?

[Daphne]

I was at the local Farmer's market yesterday and there is a lady who sells homegrown herbs. she has some chocolate mint that I found kind of interesting. What do you do with chocolate mint?

[Cassie's China Doll]

I have had plenty of this growing in my garden for years. It is very evasive, like all mints, but one of my favorites. I love to use it in cut-flower bouquets (it smells great) and steeped in hot cocolate!

[poke]

I love this stuff! so far ive only used it in a couple of drinks like white russians. (I just smash the leaves into the bottom of a glass and pour the drink over them). you can also use it in hot chocolate or tea. as a garnish on lots of deserts....I think you can pretty much just do whatever sounds fun to you and it would work. I love how it tastes and smells just remember to keep it planted in its own container or far away from any other plants because it will completely take over anything you plant it with...just like any other mint plant.

[opabinia51]

I used to have a little mint garden as well. Chocolate mint diddn't do as well as the other ones but, all mint makes a nice tea. Also, very nice with some other home grown herbs and chicken in a stirfry.

And it just smells nice when you're working in the garden.

[Jess]

I love it as an iced tea and it is very good for your digestive system.

Another way I use it is to flavour sugar.
I do this with many herbs that can be used in deserts; Lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena etc.
Add a few leaves to an airtight jar with sugar in it, shake it every day for about two weeks and empty through a sieve into a clean jar. You can mix up several herbs in the one sugar or trying adding some sweet spices like cinnamon or cloves. Just experiment to see what you like. Then substitute the flavoured sugar in cake recipes etc....Delicious.

[Daphne]

So if I wanted to make iced tea with it, would I dry the leaves first? Or do I use them fresh? Can you tell I've never done this before?

[Jess]

So if I wanted to make iced tea with it, would I dry the leaves first? Or do I use them fresh? Can you tell I've never done this before?

Haha! Always a first time for everything.
Pick fresh leaves (no stems) and pour boiling water over them, add sugar to taste and if you want chuck in a piece of root ginger. Leave it to steep for about 2 minutes, remove ginger and drink or leave to cool, add some ice, a fresh sprig of mint and drink.

[opabinia51]

Little known fact: Mint and Dill work great together. Take a few mint leaves as well as a sprig of dill and chew on them. Really nice and refreshing.

[Jess]

Little known fact: Mint and Dill work great together. Take a few mint leaves as well as a sprig of dill and chew on them. Really nice and refreshing.

I didn't know that Opa. I will let you know what I think in the morning when I can see to pick!

[opabinia51]

Mint and lavendar go really nicely together as well in a tea. Lavendar on it's own is really nice in a tea for the matter!

[praying mantis]

Perfect timing. This weekend I am pulling loads of mint and transplanting the healthiest ones to pots. I wanted to make mint tea and minted ice cream but I will definitely be trying the minted sugar.

[cheshirekat]

Mmmm. I see some tasty ways to use my mint. I've been trying to use all my mints so that they all can get bushy from being picked on. So far, my curly mint always grows fast and has so many leaves that I pick on it the most. I also like my pineapple mint in tea. The chocolate mint is now on my hit list for tomorrow morning.

If you have curly mint, the texture and smell is great for soaking your feet. I put a few big chunks of the curly mint in very warm water for 15-20 minutes. Then I added a few more leaves and rubbed them all over my feet. My feet felt so pampered and young that I will have to try it again and add some cinnamon basil.

The cat followed me around all day after I used the curly mint. Remember, mint is related to catnip but most cats don't go crazy over mint, but they do notice. I had a cool and wet kitty nose sniffing my feet and legs and it made me laugh.

[praying mantis]

Today, I bought several basils and chocolate mint. I am looking forward to harvesting the chocolate mint. Tomorrow, I am hosting a breakfast dessert gathering. I have prepared blueberry pie, apple pie, 31 flavors ice cream cake and a gallon of sun infused minted sugar water. The first pint went so well I had to make enough for everyone. It's light, refreshing and all local......whoops. The next batch will be all local. I used sugar rather than local honey to sweeten the minted water. I have to go and start the ice cream. By tomorrow, I should have vanilla ice cream for the pies and green tea ice cream, just because. Perhaps I will sneak some mint into the green tea ice cream. It could work.

Grow, chocolate mint. Grow!

[opabinia51]

Wow Mantis, I love to have your ice cream recipe, for that matter all your recipes posted in the recipe thread under the vegetable forum.

I'm jealous, wish I was one of your guests.


I harvested a bunch of mint, spearamint, parsley (Italian and regular) as well as some fennel which I am drying out now to use at a later date. I also picked a bunch of white and crimson clover from the side of the road which I am drying as well for making infusions.

Got the clover tea idea from the Earth's Childrens Series. A great book series written by Jean M. Auel.

Though, I thought that last book could have included much more detail... even though it was the longest in the series. I also think that there could be one more book. We'll see.

Anyway, I digress.

Fennel is also great with potatoes; baked in the oven with some Extra Virgin Olive oil, Fennel, salt and pepper maybe a bit of Basil.

[Daphne]

How big does a chocolate mint plant need to be before you can start plucking leaves from it?

[opabinia51]

You can start plucking leaves right away provided that you leave some leaves on the plant. Mint is so invasive that you basicaly can't kill it.

[praying mantis]

Thanks opabinia,
The dessert thing ended up being a constant onslaught of goodness. The ice cream was perfection and the pies delicious. I had also made barley sun tea with and without mint. The vanilla ice cream recipe comes from the manufacturer of the ice cream maker. I added 4 teaspoons of green tea powder to the milk with mint leaves, instead of vanilla extract. Since I had to mix (adds heat) the powder into the milk, I put it back into the freezer to infuse for an hour. Before adding this to the ice cream maker, I mixed in the heavy cream and strained it all through my vegetable strainer. The result was creamy, homogeneous and light flavored. I am almost as pleased with it as the chocolate chocolate chip mint concoction of three weeks ago.
Eating from the garden is awesome.

[opabinia51]

It is isn't it? I'm going to copy this recipe and post it into the recipe thread if you don't mind. I'll give you credit for the recipe.

Opabinia

[wolfie]

I hate my grass, can I dig some up, and plant some mint and pray it takes over all of my grass area?

How much will my landlord hate me? LOL