Getting the most out of mint

I've enjoyed a Pimm's Cup on many evenings this summer. (For those unfamiliar with a Pimm's Cup, it's a drink made with Pimm's liquor and ginger ale.) I think that the cucumber is the traditional garnish, but I enjoy drinking it with a few mint fresh leaves that I've rolled between my fingers to release their great flavor.

Here's my dilemma: I don't have great growing conditions in my high-rise condo, so I'm stuck purchasing mint on a regular basis. A bunch seems to cost about $2, and lasts about a week before it's wilted and dry. Now, $2 a week isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, but I hate the fact that I'm only using about 20 of the hundreds of leaves in a bunch. That in itself seems like a waste of time.

Can anyone suggest a way to preserve my mint so I can extend its utility?

I've washed and frozen a few leaves, but once they're frozen, they're also brittle, so I can't roll them between my fingersw without them breaking into tiny pieces, which isn't my goal.

I've often seen people suggest freezing mint leaves (or other garnishes) into ice cubes for use in drinks when entertaining. However, I suspect that won't give me sufficient mint flavor until the ice is very melted (and I drink my cocktail much more quickly than that!).

Does anyone have any other ideas that will allow me to enjoy the minty flavor in my cocktail and also get maximum use out of a bunch of mint?

I'd get a potted plant and do your best to keep it going. Even if you don't have ideal conditions, a plant will last a lot longer than a week. Mint is a pretty tough plant.

nr706 wrote:I'd get a potted plant and do your best to keep it going. Even if you don't have ideal conditions, a plant will last a lot longer than a week. Mint is a pretty tough plant.

An excellent idea. We are fortunate enough to have mint growing in and among the bushes in our front yard. Hardy is a good word. Indeed, you're more than welcome to come by any time you want and help "weed" the mint!

I would definitely try to grow a plant. As nr706 said, mint is very hardy and could do well enough in a window sill.

You should also be able to get a little longer than a week out of the mint in a fridge. There are two ways to store it that seem to work really well. First, spritz a paper towel with a little water and wrap the mint in it (keeping it on the stem). Put this in a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, and seal. Second put the mint sprigs in a glass with a little water in it.

I use the first method in the winter.

I'd suggest making a mint syrup, which you can then use in any cocktails that call for mint and sugur. Very simple: bring mint leaves and water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off stove and let it steep for a couple of hours. Strain, pressing hard to extract all of the mint oils, then return to stove and add sugar (equal parts by volume, sugar to mint water). Heat, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool and refrigerate. This will last at least a couple of weeks, and I see no reason why you couldn't freeze it for much longer storage.

I would give a mint plant a try, just set it in your window that gets the most sun. It's truly a weed, and grows like one. I planted my first two mint plants this year and they have just taken off like crazy.

We use the majority of our mint in mojitos.

There are some cuisines out there that use mint in a lot of savory dishes. A few searches on here and on google might bring you some results.

I have that problem with a lot of fresh herbs I buy. My cats will eat any plant I keep in the apartment, so growing my own anything hasn't worked as of yet.

Have you tried looking for other ways to use up the mint? Maybe you'll find a recipe that you really like that could use up some of the mint that would otherwise be going to waste. I made this pasta this week and it was quite good.

Thanks for the great ideas.

I may buy a cheap mint plant, but I have an eastern exposure, so there's not a lot of direct sunlight, and I don't have windowsills (just inch-wide ledges), so the mint would end up with almost no direct sunlight. But a $2 mint plant might last longer than a $2 bunch of mint!

I tried to put my latest bunch in water in the fridge and that killed it even more quickly. Maybe I'll split up the latest bunch and put half in water on the counter and the other half in a wet papertowel in a ziplock in the fridge to see which lasts longest.

The mint syrup idea sounds great for other uses, but there's no simply syrup in a Pimm's Cup (at least, not how I make it)! Hmm...maybe it's time to also start drinking mojitos!

Gypsy Boy, where do you live? If you see a woman lurking around your mint while carrying a tall drink, you'll know it's me! (I must admit, I often see houses where people are growing out-of-control herbs by the sidewalk and wonder, "Do they put it here because they know people might help themselves?" I spend a lot of time in Santa Monica, and have to walk past 2 big rosemary bushes on my way to the Farmer's Market or grocery store to buy rosemary!)

When not using it in mojitos or Pimm's cups, I'll chop it up and toss it in lettuce-based salads. I'll do the same with lemon balm. I think it brightens the salad.

chgoeditor wrote:Thanks for the great ideas.

I may buy a cheap mint plant, but I have an eastern exposure, so there's not a lot of direct sunlight, and I don't have windowsills (just inch-wide ledges), so the mint would end up with almost no direct sunlight. But a $2 mint plant might last longer than a $2 bunch of mint!

I tried to put my latest bunch in water in the fridge and that killed it even more quickly. Maybe I'll split up the latest bunch and put half in water on the counter and the other half in a wet papertowel in a ziplock in the fridge to see which lasts longest.

The mint syrup idea sounds great for other uses, but there's no simply syrup in a Pimm's Cup (at least, not how I make it)! Hmm...maybe it's time to also start drinking mojitos!

Gypsy Boy, where do you live? If you see a woman lurking around your mint while carrying a tall drink, you'll know it's me! (I must admit, I often see houses where people are growing out-of-control herbs by the sidewalk and wonder, "Do they put it here because they know people might help themselves?" I spend a lot of time in Santa Monica, and have to walk past 2 big rosemary bushes on my way to the Farmer's Market or grocery store to buy rosemary!)

Just an FYI...you don't want the papertowel too wet. If you have a spray bottle, give it one spray. If you don't have one, get your hand wet, and then flick your hand once or twice onto the towel to get some of the water off.

Also, are you buying mint from a grocery store or farmer's market? I think the herbs at most supermarkets aren't that fresh to begin with. The herb stand (I can't recall the name) at the Green City Market sells wonderful, fresh, large bunches of mint for $2. I don't know if they are at other markets around town.

Two other ideas for using up your mint: a mint julep and adding chopped mint to white rice after it is cooked.

For some mints -- like their relative, basil -- the fridge is too cold. Cut the bottom of the stems and store in a vase of water like flowers (keep the leaves out of the water) at cool room temperature.

For hardier mints, you can keep them a bit longer by taking your vase and putting it in a sealed plastic bag. Put the vase in the warmest part of the fridge.

I have to say that after only 4 hours, the mint in water at room temp (with AC!) was going downhill fast. I just took it out of the water and put back into the fridge. (I'd tried to keep a previous batch in a glass of water in the fridge, and it died quickly.) I haven't tried covering the glass of water with a plastic bag, per LAZ's suggestion (and, in the interest of honesty, I have to admit that I didn't trim the ends of the stems).

This is what I'd describe as "hard" mint, not a softer leaf like basil. I am keeping it in the warmer part of the fridge, and I've wrapped it all in a lightly moistened paper towel and put it in a ziplock with most of the air sucked out. We'll see how that works!

chgoeditor wrote:This is what I'd describe as "hard" mint, not a softer leaf like basil. I am keeping it in the warmer part of the fridge, and I've wrapped it all in a lightly moistened paper towel and put it in a ziplock with most of the air sucked out. We'll see how that works!

I usually store all my greens that I don't plan on using in the next 24-36 hours this way. I've had mesclun stay fresh for a week or more this way.

When I was growing up in Minnesota, the summer cocktail was called a "Bootleg" aka "Swamp Water" (which is exactly what it looks like). The advantage of this drink is that it uses a TON of mint and is actually better the second day, so no worries about using the mint up right away.

Woodhill Bootleg/Bootade

Pack a blender loosely with fresh mint leaves. Fill blender halfway with simple syrup and the remainder of the blender with equal parts fresh squeezed lime juice and lemon juice. Refrigerate for a day until the mint fragments begin to sink in the liquid and begin to shift from the emerald-green range toward the absinthe-green range (but not brown).

To make a bootleg, put 3 commercial ice cubes (cloudy homemade ice ruins the drink) in a tall glass. Fill the glass 1/3 full with bootleg mix. Add a shot of vodka, gin, bourbon or rum and top off the glass with charged water (that's Minnesota-speak for seltzer). Add lemon/lime and/or simple syrup to taste.

A Bootade is for kids and teetotalers: omit liquor and fill with seltzer. This is one of my finest childhood taste memories!

Wow.

I started this thread on July 7, and took the suggestion to wrap my mint in a lightly dampened paper towel and keep it in the fridge in a ziplock with the air sucked out of it. I thought it was a good experiment (experimint?), and I was curious to see how it worked.

Then I went out of town for 5 days. Oh well, I'll start the experiment again when I get back to Chicago.

Then I got home, got busy for a few days, and didn't buy a new bunch of mint.

Then I went out of town for another 4 days.

I got home today, and decided to clean out my fridge, since I had some things that have languished in there while I've been out of town during the past 2 weeks. I picked up the bag of mint, which has been sitting, untouched, for 2 weeks. I expected to find it a soggy/rotting mess of mint.

Would you believe that it's as fresh as the day I stuck it in there, 14 days ago?

Thanks for the great suggestions...I'm off to make a Pimm's Cup!

I recently saw a Molto Mario episode where he made a "mint oil" which he poured over a dish with squid and white beans. The "oil" was really just a big bunch of mint mixed in a blender with a lot of olive oil, making a very loose slushy kind of pesto. There may have been some salt added, but that was really it. I imagine it would keep pretty well.