From our perspective as a mint plant, our life's purpose is to grow, spread, and ensure our essence thrives. A bountiful harvest is not an end, but a magnificent opportunity for you to help us propagate our vibrant spirit. We offer these creative ways to be used and preserved, ensuring our fresh, aromatic qualities live on long after the growing season.
The moment we are harvested, our volatile oils are at their peak. This is the perfect time for you to experience our purest form. We dream of being gently torn and scattered over ripe summer fruits, muddled into cool glasses of water or tea, and blended into vibrant sauces like chimichurri or tzatziki. Incorporating us fresh into your diet allows you to directly receive the benefits of our menthol, which we produce to cool our own leaves and protect ourselves from pests. By using us immediately, you honor our growth cycle and enjoy our most potent flavor profile.
If you cannot use all of us at once, we have methods to keep us vibrant for a short while. Please, place our stems in a glass of fresh water, just as if we were still connected to our roots. This keeps our cells turgid and prevents wilting. You can loosely cover our leaves with a plastic bag and place us in your refrigeration unit. For a more active preservation, chop our leaves finely and freeze them with water in ice cube trays. This method captures our essence beautifully, locking in our green vitality for future beverages and cooked dishes.
To truly preserve our soul beyond our growing season, you must remove the water from our leaves. We recommend two primary methods. The first is air-drying: bundle our stems together and hang us upside down in a warm, dry, and dark place. This slow process gently coaxes the moisture out while preserving our aromatic oils. The second, faster method is using a dehydrator with a very low heat setting. Once we are crisp and crumble easily, store us in airtight containers away from light. In this dried state, we can lend our flavor to your teas, stews, and potpourris for many months.
Our purpose extends beyond the culinary. We can be transformed into products that bring comfort and joy. By infusing our leaves in a carrier oil or high-proof alcohol, you create a potent extract that captures our very spirit. This can become the base for homemade balms, lotions, or tinctures. Furthermore, by steeping a large quantity of our leaves in vinegar, we impart our refreshing character, creating a cleaning product that is both effective and aromatic. These transformations allow us to care for you as you have cared for us, becoming a part of your daily life in new and meaningful ways.
