One of the flavors I associate most with summer, besides basil, is mint. Mint runs amuck through my herb bed all summer long before dying off for the winter. I try to have as many mint dishes as I can, but sometimes in the middle of winter I crave a good Thai or Vietnamese dish – and most of them call for mint. Not dried mint, but the bright green taste of fresh mint.
I’ve all ready showed you my Lemon Mint Syrup, which is one way that I preserved some of that mint flavor. And while I have plenty of plans for that syrup, I kept thinking that I need to try something else. So, I googled preserving mint, and I found that lots of people are successful freezing it. Why not? I freeze basil, and tarragon, and rosemary.
I found several references to just putting it in a vacuum sealed bag. This is how I do tarragon and it comes out beautifully, releasing that lovely anise scent as soon as I open the bag. So, I’m trying it. I’m putting away several of these bags of freshly harvested mint. Check back with me this winter as I open them and see how they worked out.
How about you, how do you preserve mint?
By Pam Greer
La Table De Nana says
So it's me again Pam:)
Made packets of herbs..the fisrt packet I made I put lots of basil oregano..etc for spaguetti sauce..made it today..took the compressed pack out..still gorgeous green..and frozen they are so easy to chop! My sauce is studded with lovely green herbs..
Love this method.
La Table De Nana says
Thanks again Pam..I picked basil..and oregano..quite a bit..all ready for my next big batch spaghetti sauce..looks adorable:-) All snug..and still green:-)
Going to do more..and the mint for sure.
grace says
i wish i had any mint to even attempt to preserve! a whiff of the stuff would be welcome in the dead of winter.
La Table De Nana says
Pam..we have a thing to vacuum seal..I will try..this is genius.
Excited.
Sara Chapman in Seattle USA says
First of all, I grow mint in a pot only! I know that you can never get it out of a bed. The roots are brittle!
I pick mine when it's looking really lush and then just loosely bunch it in rough twine and hang it upside down on a nail in my carport. It dries very fast, only a few days, and then I have all I want for my favorite tea.
Amy says
Intereeesting. It never occurred to me to freeze herbs. I'm all over this.
Mari @ Once Upon a Plate says
Thank you for posting this Pam ~ I'm going to do this.
I refuse to pay $5. for a couple of stems of mint in the middle of winter!
Wearinbeads says
have you tried mint oil? I haven't, but basil oil is so wonderful . . .
Catherine says
I'm going to try this! I grew two kinds of mint this year and it smells heavenly. Good idea ~ thanks!
xo Catherine
Joanne says
Exciting!! I can't wait to see what you do with it in the dead of winter. 🙂
Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe says
I love the bite of fresh herbs in the winter... I can't wait to see how this works!
Rachel Cotterill says
I've only just discovered that there's a mint patch in our garden - so I haven't thought about preserving it yet. But freezing some seems like a good plan 🙂