PLANT O’ THE DAY: Mint – which granted is a little broad. There are over 600 varieties of mint. If you’re perplexed by which mint variety to plant narrow down what you’ll be using it for. For example if you’d like to make some insomnia mint tea, you may want to try a lemon mint, or for scented bouquets you could grow some apple scented applemint. You can look at a book about mint or talk to your local nursery to learn about native mints.

GROWING CONDITIONS: With over 600 types you might guess that there are plenty of growing conditions …read more

After a beautiful spring day of yard work and spring cleaning (the kids already got their treat!), I can’t think of a better way to unwind tonight than with a little extreme sweet tea.

This recipe and picture come from The Bitten Word, who got it from Everyday Food:
Bourbon Mint Tea
In a large saucepan, boil 4 cups water. Add 1/2 cup sugar; stir to dissolve. Remove from heat; add 8 teabags of black tea. Steep 10 minutes; discard teabags. Add 4 cups cold water; transfer to pitcher, and chill. Add 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon, crush …read more

We commonly use mint an an herb in cooking or as garnishing in desserts, but we also find it in liniments and palliative ointments and massage oils. It’s pain relieving powers have been long known particularly to those who practive traditional chinese medicine, but there have also been anecdotes that even Hippocrates, the Greek scholar, has used it to treat sprains, join pains and inflammation.
“Swellings and pains in the joints, ulceration, those of a gouty nature, and sprains, are generally improved by a copious affusion of cold water, which reduces the swelling, and removes the pain; for a moderate …read more