Mint: The Coolest Of Them All

A herb that does more than freshen breath and give food a refreshing twist.

There is no denying it, you just can’t get fresher than me, Mint. Mixed with a splash of lime juice and soda water, I am undeniably the coolest drink around – making the perfect mocktail or cocktail for hot summer days and balmy evenings.

But I am so much more than just a refreshing beverage. I am added to all sorts of recipes to provide a stimulating twist on a tired formula. Think baked spuds or steamed vegies. Even a fresh fruit salad can gain a new zest of life with a little of me scattered over it. I am also the perfect companion when married with roast lamb, peas and beans, summer salads and cold soups.

I’m super easy to grow, and even the world’s worse gardeners can’t go too wrong with a little pot of me in the garden. Did your ears prick up when I mentioned ‘pot’?

Yes, I can be the devil incarnate for novice green thumbs. If allowed to f lourish without some sort of hard border, I will take over. At first, I will look pretty and polite, providing a succulent green accent to your garden, but look away for too long and I will have laid down my underground rhizomes, or runners, conquering the land and bullying other plants into giving me their share of nutrients.

But don’t let me scare you. Thriving in full sun or partial shade, I behave perfectly well on balconies and kitchen gardens when planted in my own pot, and picked and pruned often. Much like Norman Lindsay’s character in the Magic Pudding, I am a cut-andcome-again food. When in easy reach of budding chefs, I can do no wrong. I am at my best when young, so pick my green tender leaves and eat me fresh from the pot, but I can also be frozen and air-dried in bunches.

Got an insect problem? Hey, then you need me! My oi l is an envi ronmentally friendly insect repel lent which can help cont rol pests like wasps, hornets, aphids, ants and cockroaches. Place pots of me around your garden in areas they like to haunt, or simply lay sprigs among the plants you want to protect, replacing me often.

Did I say I am also a pretty awesome medicinal herb? Nat ive to Europe and Asia, I have been used for thousands of years for my pleasant taste and to treat all sorts of ills. I gave smelly breaths a mouthful of freshness and relieved postmeal indigestion. Simply plucked and chewed, this old folk remedy is still used today to freshen breath sans sugar, and provide relief from indigestion and bloating.

Alternatively, turn me into tea. Why buy herbal teabags when you can pick me straight from your kitchen garden? Simply place several torn or bruised leaves in a cup and pour over boiling water. Let me steep for a few minutes, strain and drink. Ah, my tea is the perfect way to help you digest your evening meal.

Feeling a little tense? Crush my leaves into a compress and apply to your forehead to relieve tension headaches. Tooth decay? My antibacterial properties help kill the germs that cause tooth cavities and gum disease – that’s another reason why you see me in so many toothpastes and mouthwashes.

Venturing further back in time, it is believed I was used in ancient funerary rites to mask the smell of the dead, and therefore came to be regarded as a sacred plant of Hades, king of the underworld in Greek mythology. In fact, Minthe, a water nymph, was named so because Hades’s wife Persephone turned her into a mint plant after discovering she was having an affair with her husband. The problem for Persephone was that every time she trod on Minthe, she revealed my delightful minty scent.

Stepping on me became a bit of a thing. In Europe, when they still

I AM AT MY BEST WHEN YOUNG,

SO PICK MY GREEN TENDER LEAVES AND EAT ME FRESH FROM THE GARDEN

lived in places with dirt floors, I was strewn across the ground to be used as a room deodoriser. Every time I was stepped on, my scent permeated the room and covered up the odour of the hard-packed earth.

Turn to modern times, and my oil is an essential ingredient in many cosmetics and perfumes, while my leaves add a freshness to South East Asian cuisine, such as the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls recipe below.