Re: What a Treat!

[Guest guest]

Greetings ,

Welcome to the list and thank you for sharing about the wonderful herb

garden!

Regarding the mints, I'm currently growing applemint in a pot, but there's

spearmint growing wild in the yard here and there... Fresh spearmint leaves

can be a pleasant addition to green tea. I think that fresh spearmint

combined with garlic and olive oil can be used to flavor organic pasta or

grains...One can also make an herbal tea infusion using fresh spearmint and

pure water - put both into a glass jar and let the rays of the sun (or moon)

draw out the spearmint flavor/essence - the taste is cool...nice!

I don't know yet what the herbalists have to say about spearmint (though I

do have plans to learn), but I would like to share the following (personal)

story:

When we first moved here (over four years ago), the yard was a shambles and

so, in my free time, I would go out and clean, weed, plant, etc. I remember

feeling particularly sad one day after moving, missing my friends and

knowing that I would not be in contact with anyone nearly as often as

before. I continued going through planted areas as well as large containers

full of dirt, dead plants, root masses, to save whatever soil might be worth

saving and I kept hitting these spearmint shoots. After a couple hours of

this, I found myself actually feeling pretty good. " Nothing like a good

cry " , I thought, but I also noted that I was enveloped in the fragrance of

spearmint. Again, when I was just in a blue funk of sorts with 'could have,

should have' types of thoughts, I went out to do some yard work. Again, in

a relatively short while, I noticed that the train of the 'could have,

should have' types of thoughts had derailed. I had begun to feel drawn into

the present moment, enjoying breezes, bird songs, and the feeling of dirt

beneath my nails...and again, I had happened to have encountered the wild

spearmint and was once more breathing in the fragrance of the crushed leaves

and stems...This phenomenon has ocurred each time I've happened to feel

'stuck' in some way and went out to do yard work and encountered spearmint.

So, I now leave the spearmint (considered by some to be a noxious spreading

weed) do what it wants pretty much as I enjoy it 'clearing' and 'uplifting'

properties...though for those persons who might like this plant but do not

yet have any, I definitely recommend that it be grown in containers as it

grows through underground shoots and will spread...

I do know that peppermint and lemonbalm are often used in aromatherapy and

in food, too, though I myself have yet to work with these...perhaps in the

future.

Regards,

Holly

.......................................................................

My two partners and I moved to our current home this past july and

noticed it had many flower gardens. I never really took notice of

all the different plants until today when was mowing the lawn

and smelled mint. Upon further exploration, it looks as though the

landlord's wife had a bit of an herb garden going.

I found Peppermint, spearmint, lemonbalm, " mint " (the kind you'd find

at the grocery store), sage, oregano and flat leaf parsley all

amongst the weeds and rosebushes.

The thing I'm looking to you all for is what to do with it all? I

cut most of it down and have now hung it up in my kitchen to dry. I

also planted the roots into pots so i can bring them in for the

winter. I know that I can make soem good teas and what not, but more

specifically I was wondering if anyone knew what lemonbalm and

spearmint were good for? I also wonder what the generic mint was good

for!

Thanks for helping me with this lucky find!

[Guest guest]

What a good surprise! Lemon balm makes a very calming tea and tasty too.

Spearmint makes not-so-great-tasting teas taste better hehehe. It also is

good for a sick tummy.

Janet

----- Original Message -----

From: <sarahlovell@...>

<health >

Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2004 1:05 PM

Subject: What a Treat!

> My two partners and I moved to our current home this past july and

> noticed it had many flower gardens. I never really took notice of

> all the different plants until today when was mowing the lawn

> and smelled mint. Upon further exploration, it looks as though the

> landlord's wife had a bit of an herb garden going.

>

> I found Peppermint, spearmint, lemonbalm, " mint " (the kind you'd find

> at the grocery store), sage, oregano and flat leaf parsley all

> amongst the weeds and rosebushes.

>

> The thing I'm looking to you all for is what to do with it all? I

> cut most of it down and have now hung it up in my kitchen to dry. I

> also planted the roots into pots so i can bring them in for the

> winter. I know that I can make soem good teas and what not, but more

> specifically I was wondering if anyone knew what lemonbalm and

> spearmint were good for? I also wonder what the generic mint was good

> for!

>

> Thanks for helping me with this lucky find!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>