7 Ways to Use Your Fresh Mint!

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I love mint. The smell. The taste. Peppermint, spearmint, mint tea, mint chocolate chip ice cream, thin mints….ok I’ll stop so I don’t sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump. Now let me show you 7 ways to use your fresh mint!

As we discussed before, mint is a hardy plant that can and will produce a ton of leaves if you treat it right! So basically water it, give it sunlight and you will get some great smelling leaves.

So what can you do with it once you have your harvest?

That’s easy:

1. Mint Tea

You can start with dry leaves or use fresh leaves. Dry leaves need to be crushed to release some flavor before seeping. Fresh leaves need to be small too but only cut with a knife small. Nothing super tiny.

You can use a tea infuser or put the leaves at the bottom of your favorite cup. Pour boiling water over the top and seep for about 5 minutes, depending on your preference.

If you use an infuser, just remove it when you are ready to drink. If you are using just leaves, simply use a slotted spoon to remove the leaves before drinking.

2. Mojitos

I am not a huge fan of white rum…BUT I make an exception for this drink.

I start with 5-6 mint leaves in the bottom of a rocks glass or tumbler. Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice (or the juice from one lime) and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Muddle this together. Do not make the leaves into mush but blend the flavors together.

Now I add a healthy shot of white rum. Healthy!!!

Finally I add ice to a tall glass, pour my drink mix over the ice. I add club soda almost to the top, close the top of the glass with my rocks glass and shake it all about. If you are sophisticated (not like me) and have a shaker…this can all be done in there.

3. Mint Julep

I don’t know about you but I have a bourbon drinker in my house. He will try ANYTHING once…but his true passion is bourbon. ALL things bourbon. SO when I was trying to find ways to use our plethora of mint, the Julep came up.

The best part? I can make him a Julep and me a Mojito….same concept, different liquor.

5-6 mint leaves at the bottom of a rocks glass, 2 teaspoons of sugar. Muddle those yummy flavors together, add some ice, add your HEALTHY shot of bourbon (and let’s be clear here – all of these drinks are focused on the quality of liquor, DO NOT buy cheap….or at least spend a little extra). With this drink you can top it off with water or ginger ale or ginger beer. Again, the focus is on the liquor, not the mixer!

**Personal side note: You can make simple syrup to muddle with the mint, if you want. But it takes a little more time, so if you want a drink NOW – don’t use this. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a small sauce pan. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly until all the sugar is dissolved (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat and let it cool. You can store this syrup up to 2 weeks in the fridge too. Oh and another trick…if you know you are going to use this simple syrup with your mint drinks – throw the mint in while it’s cooling…..add some extra minty flavor!

4. Mint Extract

Huh?!? Yup HOMEMADE extract! But how? Time….it takes time, so if you need it for tomorrow…go buy some….if you want to give it away for Christmas gifts….perfect!

Start with about a cup of leaves. No stems. Of course wash and dry the leaves. Put the leaves in between your hands and rub them together. This will release some oils, add those leaves to an air tight container (mason jar). Add 2 cups of vodka. Yes, vodka. Can be cheap or expensive….it will not matter in the long run. My recommendation is to go cheap! Unless you have some on hand that you don’t know what else you’d use it for.

Use just enough vodka to cover the leaves. Seal the container and store it in a cool, dark place. It will take several months to process. 2 or more months, but check on it every few weeks to make sure the leaves are still covered and mold isn’t growing. Which it shouldn’t because of the alcohol, but still check.

When it’s done and to your satisfaction, strain the leaves out and store the liquid in cute jars you create for Christmas giving.

5. Mint Frosting

Use your favorite buttercream recipe – like this one – and add 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. I just thought of something….chocolate cupcakes and mint frosting (add some green food coloring so people believe it’s actually mint)….like mint chocolate chip ice cream or thin mints…..I think I know what I’m going to do on my next day off!!!!

6. Mint Jelly

Nope not the kind you mix with peanut butter. BUT….the kind you put on – lamb – that’s right I eat lamb, on occasion. I feel utterly horrible afterward…like 4-5 days later because I’m a bleeding heart, but while eating it and the several moments after, it is like THEE most delicious thing EVER! We usually make lamb chops and sometimes we experiment with balsamic demi-glazes BUT the first time I had lamb, I used mint jelly and what a game changer.

Lamb can be a little gamey, so anything to cut that bitterness is great! Mint jelly is easy to make and can make the difference between success with lamb and EPIC fail! There are a lot of different ways to make it but the principle ingredients are all the same. Vinegar, sugar, and mint of course. I like apple cider vinegar, but white wine would do the trick too.

Check out this recipe from The Spruce Eats.

7. Mint Limeade

Y’all, I’ve never had this before I found this recipe at Tastes Better From Scratch and fell in love! It is so good! Refreshing on a hot day! Lemonade gives me heartburn, so I was looking for something that might not be as bad for me…..I found this and decided to give it a try! Everyone was so glad I did!

I used the simple syrup I already had on hand, squeezed some fresh limes, and it hit the spot. Not going to lie….I wanted to put some tequila in it for a homemade margarita taste, but it was too good on it’s own.

I hope you have found some ideas to mix your mint up!!!! Let us know if you try any!!!!

Happy Harvesting,