EDIBLE LANDSCAPE: Mint varieties offer fragrance, flavor

By Randy Hobson
Guest columnist

On our wooden kitchen table, I have two nursery flats holding three varieties of mint I rooted from cuttings. The blend of beauty, fragrance and visual texture they create is wonderful.

The first variety, known as pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens “Variegata”), is a cultivar of apple mint. The square stems and opposite leaves are fuzzy (another name for apple mint is woolly mint).

Pineapple mint is characterized by light green foliage with white patches. It makes a striking ground cover and provides a pleasing visual contrast to its darker cousins. The leaves can be used to make tea, garnish salads and enhance ham glazes. The combination of pineapple fragrance and mint flavor is captivating. Pineapple mint and other varieties of apple mint handle full-sun exposure better than many mints.

Sharing the flat with pineapple mint, the next herb we encounter is spearmint (Mentha spicata). A close inspection of the deep green textured leaves reveals the margins are softly serrated with a pointed tip, hence the name ‘spear’ mint. The smooth square stems are a purplish color.

As with all mints, spearmint prefers moist soil and spreads by means of runners called stolons. This property of mints leads many people to grow mint in containers or plant deep edging around the mint bed to prevent spreading. In some parts of the world, mint can be invasive.

While pineapple mint tends to have a sprawling growth habit, spearmint grows upright, reaching 2 to 3 feet in height. In my experience, spearmint thrives if it receives some shade during the hottest part of the day. Spearmint produces pink or white flowers on spikes.

The clean fragrance and taste of spearmint is unmistakable. Every May in Kentucky, the festive atmosphere surrounding the Kentucky Derby is highlighted with the flavor and fragrance of mint juleps. Spearmint-garnished iced tea is a Southern tradition. Spearmint jelly accompanies and enhances roast lamb. Middle Eastern and Asian dishes often feature spearmint.

The final mint in our collection has dark green leaves with reddish veins. This shade-loving mint gives off the wonderful aroma that identifies it as peppermint. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a hybrid that is a cross between watermint and spearmint.

As is the case with most hybrids, peppermint is usually sterile but spreads by means of its stolons. Peppermint makes one of the most delicious mint teas. Peppermint and other mints may be used fresh, dried or frozen with water in ice cube trays.

Mint is a perennial favorite of our patrons at the Inverness Farmer’s Market. The wide variety of mints available offers year-round beauty in the landscape and culinary opportunities in the kitchen.

My grandson introduced me to a novel use for mint one day in our garden. I observed him picking a mint leaf, then picking a sweet leaf from a stevia plant and proceeding to chewing them both together with great relish.

Perhaps all of us can approach our old friends the mints with a new sense of discovery. Happy landscaping and happy eating!

Randy Hobson, a licensed landscaper and plant enthusiast, can be reached at 352-613-0542.