Mint Harvest

Over the winter my supply of dried mint leaves dwindled and I was forced to purchase some mint tea for my occasional cup. I vowed to get out this spring and harvest enough so I did not run low again, then I promptly forgot about it.

The herb likes the damp and sandy soil along the water where it stays damp even when the weather turns more summerlike.  The biggest patch on the place is at the base of a fifteen foot, drop off  embankment from the county road on the far side of the river from where we can walk.

As Mike and I were working along the river to re-establish the barriers that keep the cattle on our property rather than walking the river off the place, I noticed we were treading on patches of mint. The minty smell as we walked on the soft green was unmistakable and pungent.

Since we were putting in the break-away fences through the river and I was already in my wet-suit, I could have harvested easily but had no way to carry it back through the river with all the fencing supplies loading down a carpenters belt with staples, wire, clips, a hammer and fencing pliers while carrying t-posts back and forth across the slippery rocks of the river bed. So I opted for the easier to reach second largest patch on the farm.

This patch growing in and around the base of the large blackberry patch on the closer side of the river. The cattle do not care for mint and leave the tender plants alone so I had first dibs on the most tender shoots. At this point of the spring, the plants are only about three or four inches high so each stem is lucky to have a handful of leaves but the are by far the premium that I enjoy for tea.

After taking the leaves off the stems, the first cuttings have been air drying on the kitchen counter for the last week and are nearly ready to seal up. This supply is not nearly enough for a year of tea drinking so several more trips will be made to harvest enough to keep me happy and not needing to purchase more from the store.