Saving The Spearmint

This excites me.

You see, we used to live in the house of my Husbands late Italian Grandparents. The back yard was filled with hydrangeas, roses, fig trees, wild flowers and some spearmint. 

I used to cut stems off the spearmint once it grew the lavender flowers on the top and put them in a vase in the kitchen as it would add the perfect green life with the aroma of mint. Oh how I miss that house and yard. 

It was told that you could place the leaf of the mint on your tongue after an Italian dinner and it would rid your breath of the garlic. I just liked the look of the twiggy bouquet.

When we were out walking in our neighborhood toward the end of last summer, I noticed an old man cleaning out his wild and weeded yard. He looks to be over 110 years old and his yard is full of different flowers as if he just threw the seeds out of his windows to see where they would grow. Out of all the flowers and weeds in his yard, I always noticed the mint he had growing near the curb. It was always tempting to pick some but that would be stealing.

As we walked by his yard, I noticed he had ripped the mint out of the ground and threw it in the pile if brush he had by the road. I asked him if I could have some, and without skipping a beat, he said "sure! Take all you want". I grabbed only a couple twigs, not to look so desperate, and continued my walk. We were only a block from home. 

I stuck them down in a pot of dirt and within a day or two, they had already perked up and leaned toward the sun. They died off in January and by March, there was new growth. New life. It was almost like it appeared over night. I mean I just looked out there a day or two ago and didn't notice.

I can already smell the mint when I walk onto my patio. It almost hides the smell of dog poop of my next door neighbors dogs. Almost. Not sure a whole yard full of mint and roses would fix that fiasco.

I will use sprigs of mint in my water along with some cut cucumber for a refreshing quench. I may attempt to make some mint tea or search for other uses for this herb. 

It will also attract butterflies as the summer progresses. I'm so excited. I got something to grow in my flavor favor. Now if I could just get a tomato plant to produce.

Im open for more ideas on usage for this mint. If you have one, I'd love to hear it.