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Home » Blog » You’re Growing How Much Mint? 15+ Versatile Uses for Mint

You’re Growing How Much Mint? 15+ Versatile Uses for Mint

By PreparednessMama on May 7, 2020 * 12 Comments

What Will I Do With All That Mint?

I recently divided all my mint plants into new containers. It looks like this year will be a bumper crop. Right now I have peppermint, orange mint, apple mint and chocolate mint growing on the deck. Spearmint will soon follow. I had a reader ask, “What are the other uses for mint besides tea?” Here’s my answer.

Mint is such a versatile herb, no garden should be without it. What are other uses for mint besides tea? You will be surprised how much it really can do | PreparednessMamaMint is such a versatile herb; no garden should be without it. Growing tip: plant it in damp places to produce strongly scented leaves.

Also, mint can be propagated through cuttings. So, if you’ve bought a mint plant that you’d like to grow in your garden, just cut the stem below a node from where leaves sprout, remove most of the leaves except for the top ones, and place the cutting in either damp soil or water away from direct sunlight.

To boost your chances of success, use a natural rooting hormone on the cuttings while your at it.  Check out our posts on making natural rooting hormone at home and DIY willow water first.

Now, let’s look beyond mint tea and figure out what else you can with a big patch of mint.

You Can Use Mint Fresh or Dried in Cooking

Add fresh sprigs of chopped mint to your green salad. Go lightly at first, you don’t want to overwhelm your taste buds!

Add fresh mint and cilantro to your homemade salsa. Try a search for recipes at your favorite online site. Change up your mango salsa by adding fresh mint. This easy recipe from Tailgater Monthly will give you all the details.

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Mint Goes Great With Eggs and Omelets

  • Choose two fresh mint sprigs; remove the leaves from the stalk and wash, clean and chop the mint leaves.
  • Crack the eggs in a bowl; add a small amount of milk, salt, and pepper, and then whisk.
  • Heat a frying pan, greased with a tablespoon of butter.
  • Quickly add the eggs.
  • Cook for a few minutes allowing the eggs to form soft curds.  Now add the chopped mint leaves and continue cooking.
  • I like to cook my eggs until they are done but not completely set; with enough moisture, they will keep cooking after you remove them from the heat.

Make mint jelly with fresh spearmint leaves and granny smith apples – directions can be found at Simply Recipes. Spice up your mint jelly with jalapeno by following this recipe from Epicurious.

Mint Adds Zing to Your Cream Cheese Spread

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup fresh orange mint washed and chopped (substitute your favorite mint)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon or orange zest
  • ¼ cup orange juice or lemon juice (depending on your taste)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Try strawberries and mint in cream cheese, Neufchatel or goat cheese. Click the link to get the recipe from Kraft Recipes.

Make garlic-mint-yogurt spread and add a Mediterranean slant to whatever you put it on. Try it with fries, on a burger, or as a dip with grilled fish.

If you are also growing a bumper crop of basil, Two Lazy Gourmets has a mouthwatering recipe for basil mint pesto. Use 2 cups basil to 1 cup mint. They promise it’s so tasty you’ll want to eat it with a spoon! This is first on my to do recipes once the basil gets going.

This minted butter recipe, from Taste of Home, has the potential for versatility! Use it on peas, asparagus, broccoli, scones, and biscuits. Dump the sugar and add chives for a savory spread.

Make your own mint extract to use in cooking or give as gifts. It takes two months to make, so get started as soon as you have enough fresh leaves. Here are directions from The Prairie Homestead.

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Make mint syrup

  • Chop 1 ½ cups mint leaves
  • In a saucepan bring sugar, water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved
  • Simmer syrup, undisturbed, 2 minutes
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool
  • Add the mint to a lidded container
  • Pour the syrup over it, covering completely
  • Steep the mint in the syrup for 24-48hrs
  • Remove mint leaves and enjoy!
  • Syrup keeps, covered and chilled, 2 weeks
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Use fresh or dried mint in household preparations

Mint is such a versatile herb, no garden should be without it. What are other uses for mint besides tea? You will be surprised how much it really can do | PreparednessMamaRepel ants with mint. According to Small Notebook, mint destroys the smelling capabilities of ants and prevents them from entering your home. You can use fresh mint plants around your doors and windows or use dried mint in herbal preparations.

In the bath – make a chamomile mint bath soak to take before bedtime. Soothing!

Make a strong peppermint tea infusion to use on your hair. Used along with nettle leaves, it can be used an effective hair rinse to get rid of dandruff. It is great for soothing the scalp and promoting hair growth as well.

Make Refreshing Hair Pack

Mint is a boon for oily hair and itchy scalp. With this refreshing hair pack you can keep dandruff in check, calm scalp irritation, and keep yourself fresh when temperatures hit triple digits.

You’ll need:

-// 1 cup of fresh mint leaves

– // 3- 4 tablespoons of homemade curd (check out this self-explanatory Indian curd recipe)

-// lemon juice from half a lemon

Blend all the ingredients and turn them into a fine paste. Apply the hair pack to damp hair and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Wash as usual. Use the hair pack twice a week.

Dry your mint and use it for making teas and tinctures. Try this post from PreparednessMama – How Do I Store Dried Herbs and learn how to dry mint and other herbs. Even the stems can be used for fire starters and to feed the rabbits.

OK… this post is long enough, and I haven’t even covered the many ways you can use mint in medicinal preparations. Or, how to use mint essential oil in natural cleaning recipes. I will have to save that for another day. Plus, here’s how to divide your mint, in case you need to know.

So, on second thought, maybe I don’t have enough mint!  What is your favorite way to use wonderful mint around your house? Leave a comment below.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting PreparednessMama in this way!

PreparednessMama
Preparedness Mama and its collaborators have created a one-stop shop of critical resources for families looking to prepare for disaster. We know firsthand that getting ready for the worst with a big family poses some particular challenges.
 
We’ve learned from the past so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes again. Fear of the unknown is one of the scariest things in life, but we hope that Preparedness Mama’s treasure trove of practical advice will make that unknown less daunting and ultimately help take the scared out of being prepared for every single one of our readers.

Comments

  1. rick says

    August 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    We like to use it in many of the ways you listed but our favorite is dried leaves for mint tea. We also use it to repel ants and varroa mites in our bee hives. Sometimes, after handling some of the compost tea formulas and fermented chicken feed the smell stays on your hands and grabbing some mint leaves and rubbing them together in your hands makes a welcome fresh mint change.

    Reply
  2. Megan - The Creative Vegetable Gardener says

    April 12, 2016 at 11:51 am

    This is great! I love growing mint in pots in my Garden. I usually dry it for tea, but you’ve inspired me to try it some new ways. I’m definitely going to add it to my morning eggs. I’m a member of Garden Foxes and I’ll be sharing this post on my Facebook page this week!

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      April 13, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Thanks for stopping by Megan!

      Reply
  3. James says

    April 13, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    Mint wine ….

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      July 27, 2017 at 3:47 pm

      I’m very interested in this. Can you share how you do this?

      Reply
    • Tina says

      July 31, 2018 at 12:27 pm

      Please let me know how you make mint wine? Thanks tina

      Reply
  4. Patti says

    April 15, 2016 at 5:36 am

    I know some think growing mint is a problem but I love it and will continue to grow it. Love all your suggestions here. One I like to to with many of my scented herbs at the end of the season is to bundle them and use them as fire starters.

    Reply
  5. spearmint hair growth says

    May 21, 2016 at 3:57 am

    Thanks for this posting. I am very impressed with it, sure this is one of the best articles.The article that is mentioned in the blog is good. we getting nice information through this blog. It’s very helpful,

    Reply
  6. Dee says

    June 13, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    I started using mint in my smoothies…..very yummy!

    Reply
  7. Bea says

    May 31, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Whats best to use on aphids getting into my mint plants?

    Reply
  8. Margaret Kenning says

    June 21, 2018 at 2:32 am

    I grow a Chocolate Mint – it is great chopped up and added to Vanilla Icecream & Smoothies.

    Reply
  9. Chris H. says

    May 2, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    Wonderful ideas. I recently purchased a house that has a small mint garden outside the front door, hemmed in by concrete so it’s not invading other spaces. It smells wonderful on the front porch, but I always wondered how to make mint tea and mint jelly. The other things sound super, too, so now I’m on a roll. My family is going to get tired of mint!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    June 27, 2014 at 6:39 am

    […] Mint […]

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  2. The Essential Herbs Series #11-15 | PreparednessMama says:
    May 21, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    […] the best flavor, harvest leaves just before the flowers start to show. Learn how to grow it and what I do with all that mint. Refresh your mint patch and preserving your harvest – growing and using […]

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  3. Refresh Your Mint Patch | PreparednessMama says:
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  4. 10 Reasons to Grow Mint (Without Fear) says:
    May 29, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    […] 15+ Versatile Uses for Mint from Preparedness Mama […]

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