Years ago, long before I became a UCCE Master Gardener, I planted an herbal tea garden in a west-facing sunny area of my backyard.  I haven't used most of the herbs so much for the purpose of making tisanes or cups of tea, but I have really enjoyed the scent while working in that area.  Most of the 15 or so herbs have survived the last 20+ years including the spearmint, pineapple mint, and Egyptian mint. 

Mint has an interesting history dating back to ancient Greek mythology.  The nymph Mentha was transformed into a mint plant by the goddess of the Underworld, Persephone, when Persephone became jealous and enraged that Pluto, the god of the Underworld, preferred Mentha over her.  Mint was thought to be an aphrodisiac and was woven into crowns to be worn on the head.  Statues of Venus are sometimes seen with these crowns – Corona Veneris. In the Bible, the Pharisees paid their tithes with mint.  Mint is also a symbol of hospitality. Its clean scent, due to menthol, has over-scented the odors of life throughout the millennia.

Mint leaves and mint essential oil have been used medicinally in teas and other preparations for upset stomach, nausea, colic, heartburn, flatulence, headaches, toothaches, hiccups, as a sleep aid and as a cure for mad dog bite when combined with salt into a paste and applied to the bite.  Some have even used it for potential anti-fertility purposes.  I am not sure how the mint was prepared for this purpose, and I would definitely not recommend anyone use it for this!

Mint is grown commercially for room fresheners, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, candy, and beverages.  This time of year, one can enjoy Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.  Peppermint has a stronger flavor than spearmint and is used primarily for commercial flavoring.  If you do choose to grow peppermint, use just the newest leaves.  The older leaves and the stems can be bitter.  Spearmint plays well with most vegetable, meat, and fish dishes.  I enjoy mint in tabbouleh, Vietnamese spring rolls, Indian raitas, meatballs of different ethnic cuisines, fruit salads, chocolate desserts, ice water, and tea. Fresh mint is best in these dishes, but dried is a good backup.

Growing mint is not difficult, but it can be an invasive perennial.  It's native to Europe and Asia, so does well in our climate.  I have mine in patio containers and some planted in deep, bottomless containers sunk down in the garden soil to about 1-2 inches from the rims of the containers.  I am vigilant to make sure they don't escape their confines.  They send up new plants from their spreading roots.  They sprout tiny flowers in the summer that are pretty when plucked and added to a pitcher of ice water with some fresh-picked, new leaves. The newer leaves and stems have more flavor than the older, woody ones.  Mint thrives in a shady, location with ample water, but mine don't get that and are doing just fine.  I do cut most of them down to the ground in late fall. If I fail to do so, winter frost takes them down to leafless stems that I whack off in early spring.

Mint can be plagued by aphids, cutworms, rust, spider mites, loopers, thrips, verticillium wilt, mint anthracnose, mint flea beetles, mint root borers, and grasshoppers. I suspect that the one mint that I have not cut back (and that I used for the picture for this blog) has a looper problem.  It will be taken care of when I get a chance in the next week to cut this last mint down to the ground and deposit the cuttings in the gray can.