Garden mint is aggressive! Personally, I appreciate mint because it’s one of the few plants that I can’t kill, but there’s only so much dried mint, mint pesto, and frozen fresh mint that a gal can handle in the kitchen.
Fortunately, there are also a ton of crafty uses for mint, ways to add it into your bath and beauty routine, and medicinal aspects to it, so much that once the cupboard and freezer are full, you still have plenty to do with all that hardy mint growing in your garden all summer. Here are five projects to get you started:
1. mint extract: Although culinary uses, such as homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream, may first come to mind, you can also use homemade mint extract in a variety of bath and body recipes. Because the smell of mint is refreshing and energizing, I put my homemade mint extract into a killer coffee and mint hot-process soap that’s the best thing you’ll ever have smelt first thing in the morning.
2. mint sachet: Because the scent of mint can ease nausea, a small sachet (tutorial via Checkout Girl) filled with dried mint is a very soothing thing to sniff. Laid on the pillow next to someone with a yucky tummy, a mint-filled sachet is a small comfort, and if the dried mint is also mixed with lavender buds, then the poor soul just might be soothed enough to drift off to sleep. As Checkout Girl shows, even the simplest sewn sachet can be elaborately embellished.
3. mint-infused vinegar: Do you use vinegar for cleaning, as a laundry rinse, in the bath, or with baking soda as a replacement for shampoo? If you do, you’ll have more than just culinary uses for these herbal vinegar recipes from Prairieland Herbs. While mint-infused vinegar in your spray cleaner or laundry rinse will add a pleasant scent to your cleaning routine, vinegar infused with mint and rosemary is said to be excellent for dandruff control.
4. bath tea: While a handful of rose petals and dried herbs is a romantic addition to a bath, finicky drains don’t appreciate them. A bath tea, such as the one in this tutorial from Radmegan, contains all the lovely herbs in a handmade tea bag, for efficient dispersal of the essences in the bathtub AND efficient clean-up afterwards. Mint is said to be helpful in alleviating acne, and the delicious scent that wafts up from the warm water as you soak doesn’t hurt, either!
5. dried mint: Many of these projects require dried mint. If you don’t know how to dry your herbs, check out this article on drying fresh herbs over at The Herb Companion. Covering hang drying, oven drying, screen drying, and refrigerator drying, the only method that the article doesn’t cover is the dehydrator.
fresh mint image via Shutterstock
Such great ideas! Winter killed my potted mint, but now I’m inspired to start growing some more! In a pot that can come inside when it gets cold again.
If the mint died during the winter..it should come back after the winter. Cut it back in the fall..lots of compost and mulch and it should be no problem. However, I do agree with potting it….prevents it from totally taking over the yard…
Oooh a mint infused vinegar sounds lovely! My daughter likes to take mint & stevia leaves and make ‘sandwiches’ from them to munch on while playing outside. Love these ideas for one of my favorite herbs!
GREAT article!
My back yard and hosta beds are like a version of “Mint Gone Wild”…it’s everywhere despite my best efforts to confine it. Now I have a few more ideas of what to do with it all…thanks!
GREAT article…hope you don’t mind, but I linked to it in my blog post today: http://modernhomemakergal.blogspot.com/2012/05/mint-gone-wild-and-what-to-do-with-it.html
Knowing mint is invasive, we planted it in a raised bed. It has not escaped so far!! Was just about to go pick some mint for a batch of Iced Sweet Tea. These ideas are so lovely, I will pick extra & get some mint drying to try them.
As I don’t like artificial scents, mint & sage make great cologne. I just rub it between my fingers to release the oils and then on my wrists.
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I made a pitcher of iced sweet mint tea yesterday and it is the perfect summer libation!
Yum! Have you tried slices of cucumber along with mint sprigs in your water? Talk about refreshing!
Is mint good to keep spiders and bugs n rats mouses away?????? Heard it was but haven’t tried wondering if anyone here has????