Last year we were a bit concerned about our mint tea garden. My Wife had dumped the grass trimmings around the garden, and it appeared that we had lost our delicious mint tea. We removed all the grass and hoped for the best. Well, to our surprise, later in the Spring it began to grow. We now have a thicker garden than we did last year. We have already enjoyed several gallons. It is so refreshing. I think I have our neighbor convinced that it beats the ice tea you buy in the store, and it's cheaper too. It's free. This is just one leaf off the one plant, and it smells so good. I thought this might be a good shot for the theme this week. I already planned ahead and have at least the next four theme shots taken care of. No pressure here this week. Hope you had a wonderful Monday.
Very healthy-looking leaf, Rick! The economist has to argue that it's not exactly free, but that's for another time. You know exactly where this stuff came from! :)
@rhoing As far as I know it originated in Asia and later found its way to Europe and then later to Great Britain. I suppose it made its way to the states back during the early colonies. Not sure if that was what you were referring to or not.
Love the detail on the leaf and Bob G's funny comment! Mint grow like weeds do so I don't think you will need to ever worry and it grows fast! What is your recipe for mint tea? Please share!
A gallon of water in a pot, bring to a boil, Throw in a handful of snipped tea sprouts, about 6 inches long, turn off the burner, place a lid on the pot and allow it to sit for a few hours and steep. After it has tured a nice shade of light brown, spoon out the tea sprouts and discard. Pour the tea through a very fine filter, like a cheese cloth, or we use a piece of paper towel in a funnel as this filters out any of the leaves, etc. To a gallon of tea we add about a cup and a half of sugar. It all depends on your taste. Put it in the refridgerator and allow to chill. It is the best drink.
Rick, this photo makes me so happy, and thank you for sharing your recipe! I would love your mint tea, only without the sugar. I don't like sweet drinks. It's black coffee and tea around here, but the mint would make a lovely and refreshing change.
I love mint tea! I've been meaning to get some mint to put in my garden so I can make it from scratch. Right now I fresh brew it with store bought tea. And for anyone out there who likes things slightly sweet, but can't have sugar or wants to go natural- stevia is the way to go. It only takes an eyedropper (less than a tsp) to sweeten a quart sized pitcher. I like your photo Rick- love Bob G's suggestion!
Thanks for sharing the recipe as I was about to ask the same thing...but "I Moved to a Townhouse to Avoid Ever Having to Play in the Dirt Again" has a dumb question for you...is this leaf just a regular mint leaf or is there something called "tea sprouts" and then you put mint leaves with it...I have no idea what tea leaves look like but I think you can make "tea" from lots of things so now thinking you are just making your "tea" out of mint leaves...sorry to ask such a silly question, but as you can see, I would never make having to live off the land...
This is a perfect shot for the theme. And that mint leaf does look very healthy. I will have to try mint tea sometime. Can you grow it inside in a pot?
@hwy61 Karen, this is an actual mint tea leaf. There are two kinds growing in our garden. One is meadow tea, and the other is a lighter, type. Not sure of the name, but this is a leaf off the last one I mentioned.
Oh, mint is a very hardy plant. I think it'd be difficult to get rid of it even if you wanted to as the roots go quite deep. We used to have mint growing in the back garden when I was a kid, and the smell of a crushed leaf today brings back many memories.
We have mint growing wild around our house. I does smell so good. And makes some yummy Mojitos!