I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
cold weather arrives.

Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??

--
Ray

Remove NO and SPAM to reply

"Ray" > wrote in message
link.net...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if
it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
I think you are right it would be tasteless what abour saving it as mint
jelly or alternatively freezing in icecube trays. I have saved a lot of
herbs as herb butters this seems to work well but I haven't tried mint.>

"Ray" > wrote in message
link.net...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if
it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
I think you are right it would be tasteless what abour saving it as mint
jelly or alternatively freezing in icecube trays. I have saved a lot of
herbs as herb butters this seems to work well but I haven't tried mint.>

"Ray" > wrote in message
link.net...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was
wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them
before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the
flavor??

It won't lose ALL its flavor but the comparison to dried parsley is
pretty accurate. I use dried mint to make mint tea and it works OK.

"Ray" > wrote in message
link.net...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was
wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them
before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the
flavor??

It won't lose ALL its flavor but the comparison to dried parsley is
pretty accurate. I use dried mint to make mint tea and it works OK.

"Ray" > wrote in message hlink.net>...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??

You can dry it. That's what mint tea is, afterall.

Or you could make a simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar by volume) and
steep the mint in it for a few minutes, then store in the
refrigerator.

Or you could put it in a clean bottle with some sugar, cover with
Vodka, and shake it once a week for a few months.

Or you could make a bunch of batches of mint ice cream or sorbet.

Or you could freeze it.

My guess is, you probably have enough mint to do all the above.

Greg Zywicki

>You can dry it. That's what mint tea is, afterall.
>
>Or you could make a simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar by volume) and
>steep the mint in it for a few minutes, then store in the
>refrigerator.
>
>Or you could put it in a clean bottle with some sugar, cover with
>Vodka, and shake it once a week for a few months.
>
>Or you could make a bunch of batches of mint ice cream or sorbet.
>
>Or you could freeze it.
>
>My guess is, you probably have enough mint to do all the above.
>
>Greg Zywicki

I think the best mint tea is made from fresh mint leaves. There is a tea
room near me, and also a couple of Maroccan restaurants...and they use fresh
mint along with sugar and hot water. I think the mint syrup or vodka
infusions would work pretty welll...Sorbet or ice cream sounds nice too!

john

"Ray" > wrote in message
link.net...
: I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if
it
: would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
: cold weather arrives.
:
: Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
:
: --
: Ray


A waste of time, it will turn into little greenish tastless flakes. I would
invest my time in freezing experiments instead.

David

Ray wrote:
>
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
> --
> Ray
>

We cut the stems rather than pull the leaves off, wash and dry them, tie
them in bundles and hang them upside down to dry on the porch (out of
direct sunlight). Store in an airtight container.
While the mint does lose some flavour (as do all dried herbs), there is
still plenty to go around. We do this with the basil too, which also
retains a lot of flavour.

Ray wrote:
>
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
> --
> Ray
>

We cut the stems rather than pull the leaves off, wash and dry them, tie
them in bundles and hang them upside down to dry on the porch (out of
direct sunlight). Store in an airtight container.
While the mint does lose some flavour (as do all dried herbs), there is
still plenty to go around. We do this with the basil too, which also
retains a lot of flavour.

In article .net>,
babbled on about...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
>
I would try using a Foodsaver (or similar vacuum sealing device) and
then freezing the fresh leaves. I did this with oergano last year and it
worked pretty good.
--
-Cornelius
Remove "NOSPAM" from email address to reply

In article .net>,
babbled on about...
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor??
>
>
I would try using a Foodsaver (or similar vacuum sealing device) and
then freezing the fresh leaves. I did this with oergano last year and it
worked pretty good.
--
-Cornelius
Remove "NOSPAM" from email address to reply

"John Misrahi" > wrote in message >...
> >You can dry it. That's what mint tea is, afterall.
> >
> >Or you could make a simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar by volume) and
> >steep the mint in it for a few minutes, then store in the
> >refrigerator.
> >
> >Or you could put it in a clean bottle with some sugar, cover with
> >Vodka, and shake it once a week for a few months.
> >
> >Or you could make a bunch of batches of mint ice cream or sorbet.
> >
> >Or you could freeze it.
> >
> >My guess is, you probably have enough mint to do all the above.
> >
> >Greg Zywicki
>
> I think the best mint tea is made from fresh mint leaves. There is a tea
> room near me, and also a couple of Maroccan restaurants...and they use fresh
> mint along with sugar and hot water. I think the mint syrup or vodka
> infusions would work pretty welll...Sorbet or ice cream sounds nice too!
>
> john

The only one i have direct experience with is the ice-cream. You take
a standard Philadelphia recipe's ingredients (enough for a gel
canister machine), heat them (which is always a good idea) and steep
two cups (loose) of mint leaves for five mintues. Last time I made
this, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract. Why? Well, the fresh
mint is wonderful but it doesn't have the punch of the extract, while
the extract doesn't give you the fragrances and florals of fresh.
Sort of like using both jalepenos and cayene powder in a recipe. You
could do the same thing with a custard based recipe or a gelato.

Greg Zywicki
And if you look up stratacella, you'll see what to do with chocolate
in the ice cream.

"John Misrahi" > wrote in message >...
> >You can dry it. That's what mint tea is, afterall.
> >
> >Or you could make a simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar by volume) and
> >steep the mint in it for a few minutes, then store in the
> >refrigerator.
> >
> >Or you could put it in a clean bottle with some sugar, cover with
> >Vodka, and shake it once a week for a few months.
> >
> >Or you could make a bunch of batches of mint ice cream or sorbet.
> >
> >Or you could freeze it.
> >
> >My guess is, you probably have enough mint to do all the above.
> >
> >Greg Zywicki
>
> I think the best mint tea is made from fresh mint leaves. There is a tea
> room near me, and also a couple of Maroccan restaurants...and they use fresh
> mint along with sugar and hot water. I think the mint syrup or vodka
> infusions would work pretty welll...Sorbet or ice cream sounds nice too!
>
> john

The only one i have direct experience with is the ice-cream. You take
a standard Philadelphia recipe's ingredients (enough for a gel
canister machine), heat them (which is always a good idea) and steep
two cups (loose) of mint leaves for five mintues. Last time I made
this, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract. Why? Well, the fresh
mint is wonderful but it doesn't have the punch of the extract, while
the extract doesn't give you the fragrances and florals of fresh.
Sort of like using both jalepenos and cayene powder in a recipe. You
could do the same thing with a custard based recipe or a gelato.

Greg Zywicki
And if you look up stratacella, you'll see what to do with chocolate
in the ice cream.

Ray wrote:
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor?


I've had excellent results with freezing mint. I put it in the food
processor with the steel blade and add a little vinegar. Process to
make it all choppy. Then freeze in ice cube trays and remove to a
plastic bag. For tabouli, thaw a cube into the bulgur wheat. For
quinoa tabouli, substitute quinoa for the bulgur. For iced tea, use
lemon juice instead of vinegar. (I haven't personally tried that, but
it should work.)


It hasn't been a big problem, but sometimes mint leaves this time of
year can be on the fibrous tough side. Chopping and freezing helps but
doesn't totally solve the problem. I just put up with it, but if you
wanted to experiment with blanching the mint before chopping and
freezing, I'd love to learn the results.


By the way, I've chopped and frozen parsley with vinegar too. It works
great, really preserves the flavor.


--Lia

Ray wrote:
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor?


I've had excellent results with freezing mint. I put it in the food
processor with the steel blade and add a little vinegar. Process to
make it all choppy. Then freeze in ice cube trays and remove to a
plastic bag. For tabouli, thaw a cube into the bulgur wheat. For
quinoa tabouli, substitute quinoa for the bulgur. For iced tea, use
lemon juice instead of vinegar. (I haven't personally tried that, but
it should work.)


It hasn't been a big problem, but sometimes mint leaves this time of
year can be on the fibrous tough side. Chopping and freezing helps but
doesn't totally solve the problem. I just put up with it, but if you
wanted to experiment with blanching the mint before chopping and
freezing, I'd love to learn the results.


By the way, I've chopped and frozen parsley with vinegar too. It works
great, really preserves the flavor.


--Lia

Ray wrote:
> I have a mint plant that has been growing all summer. I was wondering if it
> would be worthwhile to pull all of the leaves off and dry them before the
> cold weather arrives.
>
> Or would the dried mint be like dried parsley and lose all of the flavor?


I've had excellent results with freezing mint. I put it in the food
processor with the steel blade and add a little vinegar. Process to
make it all choppy. Then freeze in ice cube trays and remove to a
plastic bag. For tabouli, thaw a cube into the bulgur wheat. For
quinoa tabouli, substitute quinoa for the bulgur. For iced tea, use
lemon juice instead of vinegar. (I haven't personally tried that, but
it should work.)


It hasn't been a big problem, but sometimes mint leaves this time of
year can be on the fibrous tough side. Chopping and freezing helps but
doesn't totally solve the problem. I just put up with it, but if you
wanted to experiment with blanching the mint before chopping and
freezing, I'd love to learn the results.


By the way, I've chopped and frozen parsley with vinegar too. It works
great, really preserves the flavor.


--Lia