The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Herbs => Topic started by: northfifeduckling on August 21, 2010, 11:20:55 am
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does anyone have any tips how to preserve mint which also preserves the flavour- obviously other methods than drying it ;D?
there is only so much mint sauce one can eat and freezing which works fine with parsley and chives did turn my mint into a tastelss mush last year... :&>
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I have never tried it myself but herb infused oils are the rage at the moment...
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chop it up and put it in ice cube trays with a little water, defrost when needed
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mint jelly is nice :wave:
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was reading today about sugaring it, i suppose it depends on what you want to save it for as this way would be quite sweet
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I know you said "not drying" but I find it is easily the best way to preserve the flavour. I do mine in a microwave so it gets done quickly!
Lots of mint sauce too - saves until next years mint is ready! (Although my mint has been rubbish this year - needs thinning in its huge pot I think)
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please can you explain how you do it in the microwave?
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Not very technical I'm afraid! Put leaves between two sheets of kitchen roll and microwave until "crisp". The kitchen roll absorbs the extra moisture, so it's a bit hit and miss with the timing/quantity. You'll need to give it a few seconds when testing it, to cool down as it only crisps when cold. Good luck!
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thanks so much for that will give it a go :wave:
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just found HFW's mint syrup recipe in the weekend mag - will try that, sounds yummy! :&>
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does anyone have any tips how to preserve mint which also preserves the flavour- obviously other methods than drying it ;D?
there is only so much mint sauce one can eat and freezing which works fine with parsley and chives did turn my mint into a tastelss mush last year... :&>
you can make a wine
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Sweet Mint Pickle is a yummy alternative to mint sauce.Just google it and my recipe on RC should magically appear.
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Has anybody's mint started growing yet this year? We had a huge patch at the edge of the woods (that must have escaped from previous tenants gardening patch) I'm sure the piggies couldn't get to all of it, I even told them "apples for piggies, mint for sheep" ;D ;D ;D but there's no sign of it - is it too early or is my pork going to be tainted ;)
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Mine is just showing signs of growth. :farmer:
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There's hope yet then :) I will try a re-con when this weather breaks - sleet horizontal at moment ::)
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if you have apples, mint and apple chutney is really nice :wave:
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I just love mint and cannot grow enough to sore, I did put some in the freezer but now not sure how much I will get as they have not sprouted yet, I have different sorts as well and must get some more to add but not in garden centers just yet!!
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Saw some in B*Q today ;)
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Don't buy mint, it's a manic sprouter, surely you can scrounge some? We're in central Scotland, the mint has already taken off like a demon. I make jars and jars of apple and mint jelly in the summer, people are giving apples away by the sack load. Just have to buy the suger, it's fabulous with lamb.
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and pork :wave:
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I am in central scotland so I will take a look at B&Q, I have always grown mint and never had too much!
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Meant to write pork....DUH!
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IF, I ever can escape I may look to see who I can scrounge some off!!
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I can give you loads of mint dug up if you like. I'm near Dunfermline.
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I am in central scotland so I will take a look at B&Q, I have always grown mint and never had too much!
You can have some from me. Don't buy any.
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Well, durring the week looks like I will be digging up every smallholders garden in the area!!!! THanks
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Well, thanks Doganjo, you did the digging for me, a nice pot of mint!!!! thanks for the trip to the bit shops ;)
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Well, thanks Doganjo, you did the digging for me, a nice pot of mint!!!! thanks for the trip to the bit shops ;)
enjoyed our wee trip too, and love my new jacket and handbag! Not bad for £13!! ;)
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My mint patch is running wild !!! At the top of my garden i have a normal mint patch that has taken over at least 1.5sq meters. Thought the chickens would peck it and dig it up but no chance lol i've also got a small bit beside my house with Pineapple mint, chocolate mint and spearmint. Don't use these to cook with they're there for when ppl brush past them and they give a stunning smell :)
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Make sure you plant your mint in pots (or even bury the pots in the ground).
Mint is an invasive plant will happily take over any chance it gets. Give mint a bit of organic fertiliser and watch it go mad...
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I have always used an old washing up bowl, cracked the bottom to let water out and then buried it in the garden and planted the mint into that it seems to keep it contained.
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I put my mint in a big pot to stop it invading my garden. Last year it was absolutely hopeless - never grew further than 2 inches tall! Just turfed it out of the pot and split it. There was absolutely no soil at all, just a mass of roots. Hope it gets back to being good this year - I need it or all the Pimms I expect to be drinking this summer! :yum:
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;) Pimms, lovely, reminds me of warm summer nights around the Bar B Que!!!! I use mint in loads of things, especialy new baby spuds!!!!
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does anyone have any tips how to preserve mint which also preserves the flavour- obviously other methods than drying it ;D?
there is only so much mint sauce one can eat and freezing which works fine with parsley and chives did turn my mint into a tastelss mush last year... :&>
What are the reasons for wanting lots of mint .. is it as a falvouring essence ? Is it to be able to reproduce mint flavoured leaves as if off the plant ?
If it is the former besides all the various preserves already mentioned try layering a screw top jar with lots of quality tip leaves and then once full with pressed down leaves fill up the jar with honey to get a sweet mint honey for all sorts of drinks and adding to soups , stews etc or making mint honey glazes .
I'd also have ago at doing the same again but this time use a bottle of decent vodka to leach out the oils ..gotta be a good night cap neat and pudding /ice cream falvouring but I suspect it will taste slightly bitter in heated food cooking ( it does when added to shrimps that are cooked in butter and beaten egg )
I'd also try another way if you have a vacuum sealer ( £ 20 or so from the likes of Aldi , Lidel ,Wilkinsons perhaps a store that sells JML products or even look on line ) I have a four year old Biffinet jobby and use heavy duty embossed v ac bags as they last well and can be reused abiet in a smaller size.
I'd wash ther mint tips and fil a bag then vacuum seal them and bung them in the freezer .. the volatile mint oils /escence will not evaporate on the vac sealed bag .
Those heavy duty bags come from a company called weschenfelder.co.uk /catalog/848/embossed_ribbed_bags]
I seal up a new bag when it is empty then cut in in half then quarters then seal up the free edges to make smaller bags and then use the smaller bags to store small amounts of Nescafe instant coffee ( I'm the only one that drinks coffee in my house ) I also store small packs of ground up home grown corriander seed, dried parsley , sage , tyme and a whole host of other stuff .
Finally if you have a pressure cooker like mine I can attach a small high temp reinforced clear hose to the pressure outlet nozzle where the weight fits on and from there it's an easy step to distill the steam and oils coming off a boiling pan of minh and water down into a glass bottle having run the pipe in a couple of coils immersed in a sink of cold water to condense the distillate & get a strong mint essence .
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I know this thread was replied to months ago but I've only just seen it! I preserved my mint this year in rape seed oil and it worked! I just put as much as I could cram into a jar then filled with the oil, left of the window for about 2 months, shaking every time I walked past and it worked! the mint is lovely in tea and general cooking with lamb and also the oil is lovely to use! :wave:
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Red...
Help me out please ....mint that's been infused in veg oil and then put in tea ???????
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I am so glad you asked plantoid. I thought the same... :-\