Cooking with Mint
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
Just about everyone loves the fresh, sharp smell of mint, but cooking with mint can be as rewarding as smelling it in the garden on a hot summer day. Mint has so many uses, it's hard to imagine not growing it in your garden, and there are so many varieties, there is sure to be one that will please you and your family!
Magical Mint
Each type of mint has its own distinctive flavor and scent, from fruity to strong. These many different mints can please just about anyone. Peppermint is a traditional flavoring of gum, candy, and liqueurs. Peppermint is sometimes too strong for cooking, but spearmint is the traditional ingredient in the mint jelly accompaniment to lamb dishes.
Mints can be used in almost any dish you prepare. They enhance fruit dishes, (especially berries), vegetables, jellies, fish, lamb and veal, beans, applesauce, and of course, many beverages. Try adding a garnish of mint to split-pea soup; you'll be surprised at the results. It enhances the flavor, thereby reducing the amount of salt needed in the recipe. It is also a traditional addition to green peas and new potatoes.
Medicinal Uses of Mint
As with cooking, the medicinal uses of mint are many. The menthol content in mint is the active ingredient that gives medicinal powers to the plant. Some of the uses for mint are insomnia, abdominal pain and menstrual cramps, fever and headache, sore throat, colds and flu, toothache, and bee stings and insect bites (lay mint leaves directly on the bite). Mint leaves on aching muscles and muscles afflicted with arthritis may help the affected areas. Spearmint does not contain menthol; so do not use it medicinally. Mint oil or mint teas are the most common ways to treat the above ailments.
Mint Tea Recipe
Mint teas are a snap to make. Simply steep one or two leaves per cup in boiling water for 10 minutes. In a teapot, use six to eight large leaves in a tea strainer.