When you have a large crop of spearmint 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 spearmint:
- Add it to soups and broths. Learn how to make a basic soup here.
- Add it to egg dishes such as egg cups and scrambles.
- Add it to a hot cereal with a base like oats, rice, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, or sorghum. See our Interesting Hot Cereal article here for more information.
- Toss it with strawberries and blackberries for a refreshing side dish. Squeeze some lime juice on top if desired.
- Add it to creative salsas. For example, you could make a salsa with spearmint, habaneros, cilantro, and garlic.
- Use it as Decor in an Interesting Salad. (Wondering why I capitalized those letters? Read more about Interesting Salads here!)
- Make a Simple Salad. A few ideas for Simple Salad pairings with spearmint are as follows:
- Cucumber and melons
- Radishes and orange slices
- Lettuce and strawberries
- Add it to other salads.
- Make infused vinegar. Spearmint-infused vinegar makes a fantastic salad dressing, among other uses. Spearmint can be infused in vinegar on its own or in combination with any or all of the following:
- Nasturtium
- Calendula
- Parsley
- Parsnip (whole plant)
- Stinging nettle
- Lemon balm and leeks
- Lemon verbena and raspberry leaf
- Fennel leaf and chamomile
- Make infused oil. Spearmint-infused oil can be used as a salad dressing or drizzle. It can also be further processed into lotions, balms, and more. For example, it can be made into a respiratory salve for chest application.
- Make a simple syrup. Spearmint syrup is a fantastic addition to coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Check out our article on how to make an herbal syrup here.
- Add it to a syrup blend. For example, you could make a respiratory-supportive syrup with spearmint, thyme, rosemary, elderflower, mullein, and/or elecampane.
- Make herbal honey. An herbal honey is a delicious way to preserve the herbal properties of your spearmint, extend its shelf life, and get benefits of honey too.
- Make herbal candies with spearmint and sugar or honey.
- Make infused water with it, either alone or with cherries or blackberries.
- Make a tea. Spearmint tea is best prepared as an infusion.
- Add it to a tea blend. A few ideas for infusion blends with spearmint are as follows:
- Peppermint
- Ginger
- Lavender
- Camellia sinensis teas such as black tea, white tea, or green tea
- Tulsi and sage
- Rose petals, feverfew, tulsi, and verbena (vervain)
- Lemon balm and lemon verbena
- Make a tincture. An herb:solvent weight ratio of 1:2 at 40% alcohol is suggested for a fresh spearmint leaf tincture. An herb:solvent weight ratio of 1:5 at 40% alcohol is suggested for a dried spearmint leaf tincture. Learn more about tinctures here.
- Add it to pickles. Spearmint can be added to many traditional pickling and quick-pickling combinations. A couple pickling complements to spearmint are parsnips and green beans.
- Add it to jams and jellies such as those made with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and/or salmonberries. These jams and jellies can be canned or frozen.
- Make herbal ice cubes to add to future beverages. Learn how to make herbal ice cubes in our Freezing Overview article here.
- Chop and freeze it to preserve it. Learn more about freezing your produce here.
- Dry it as another preservation method. See our How to Dry Your Herbs articles here for more information.
Further Reading
Growing spearmint? Check out these quick facts like its best growing conditions, companion plants, and expected yields.
Spearmint is also featured in these articles: