When you have a large crop of peppermint from the garden or farmstand, you don't have time to casually include it in complicated recipes or to frantically figure out how to use it up before it goes bad without getting sick of it. You want to make the most of your harvest and to actually enjoy it.
Here at Plant to Plate, we like to keep things simple! Here are some of my favorite ways to use or preserve peppermint:
- Make peppermint tea. Peppermint is fantastic as a solo tea herb, and its fresh flavor also makes a great addition to any blend. It can be used to offset the bitterness of some herbs like green tea and ginkgo, to elevate the subtle tastes of floral herbs like rose and lavender, or to complement certain herbs' specific herbal actions as in the classic carminative duo of peppermint and ginger.
- Add it to infused water, alone or with cucumbers and/or strawberries.
- Add it to tzatziki.
- Add it to Greek yogurt, alone or with walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
- Add it to Simple Salads. Peppermint makes a wonderful addition to Simple Salads such as cucumber-feta and green bean-pecan salads.
- Use them as Decor in an Interesting Salad. (Wondering why I capitalized those letters? Read more about Interesting Salads here!)
- Add it to soups and broths.
- Add it to stirfry and sautés.
- Add it to creative pestos. For example, one version uses peppermint or other mint leaves along with sunflower seeds, rosemary, pecorino romano, and olive oil.
- Make jam or jelly with peppermint itself, or add it to jams and jellies made with fruits like strawberries, elderberries, or cherries.
- Make infused vinegar. Peppermint-infused vinegar can be used as a whole or partial salad dressing, among other uses. You can also experiment with adding other herbs and vegetables like lemongrass and purslane to the peppermint and vinegar while infusing.
- Make a tincture. An herb:solvent ratio of 1:5 at 40% alcohol is suggested for a peppermint leaf tincture.
- Make herbal candy.
- Make peppermint-infused oil or lotion.
- Dry or dehydrate it to save it for later. See our How to Dry Your Herbs articles here for more information.
- Make peppermint ice cubes, another fun way to preserve your peppermint. Learn how to make herbal ice cubes in our Freezing Overview article here. The ice cubes can then be added to beverages like water, iced tea, and smoothies.
- Freeze it. Peppermint can also be frozen directly in a freezer bag. The leaves can be frozen whole or chopped.
Further Reading
Growing peppermint? Check out these quick facts like its best growing conditions, companion plants, and expected yields.
Peppermint is also featured in these articles:
- Quick Facts: Growing Peppermint
- The Interesting Salad Protocol: How to Build an Interesting Salad
- How to Preserve Your Harvest: Drying and Dehydrating
- How to Preserve Your Harvest: Herbal Preparations
- How to Preserve Your Harvest: Freezing