Mint Condition

TGIS - Thank God It's Spring!

... And it's about time we get our garden in ship-shape for our lovely veggies coming soon.

Last year was our first year cultivating a backyard garden, and I think we did fairly well, but this year, we've got some modifications that I hope will keep our plants happy and healthy all the way to September.

But first: the current state of the plots needs addressing. Over the winter, we let out mint plant have run of the farm, and run it has! But we did this all with a scheme in mind. The end result? An added natural assault on those terrible mosquitoes that threaten to crash every outdoor event we plan.

As is common in Louisiana, we live in a raised house, and that leaves about 2.5 feet of damp, dark crawl space for the mosquitoes to grow as large as pterodactyls. So now we've hatched stage one of our assault on their hordes! Enter - our first line of defense. What else happens to like damp, warm environments? Mint, of course! And do you know what creature is not fond of mint in the slightest? Mosquitoes!

So over the winter, we let the mint go crazy in our main garden bed, giving us a royal bushel of mint plants to propagate under the house to keep those nasty buggers at bay.

Our rowdy crop of mint!

Today was the day that we harvested and replanted those little baby mint plants that we've been growing all winter long. The technique? Mint is a vining grass, similar to crabgrass, that shoots out runners under the surface of the soil to create new root nodules and new plants. An easy way to remove and replant mint is to find the "running" end of mint, use a trowel, and loosen the soil above and beneath the runner with the tines. Gently pull up the mint runner, leading back to the nodule it came from. For a mint plant to have the best chance at success, we want it to have around 2-3 root clusters per plant.

Our wheelbarrow-full of mint plants

There are a few techniques for replanting mint, but the few we use are the "trench" method and the "coil" method, as I call them. For bigger, burlier, older plants, we use the trench method. Dig a 1-2" deep trench, also 1-2" wide. Lay the runner and root clusters in the trench and cover. Make sure soil is moist. For smaller plants, take the runners and root clusters, and coil them in a circle about 3" in diameter. Dig a hole 3" across, 2" deep, and place the cluster in the hole; cover with soil. This is also the best method for more densely compacted soil.

We've planted around 30 separate plants, spaced 6-8" apart, right under the eave of our home. They aren't directly underneath the house, as they like some sunlight. Our hope is that these plants will thrive, soak up extra moisture, and deter those pesky blood-suckers from our backyard (at least a little bit!)

And of course, after we worked up a sweat in the yard, there's nothing quite like harvesting a gallon of mint for...

MINT JULEPS! 

Now, I know the Kentucky Derby isn't until May, but when a girl's got a bucket-load of freshly harvested mint, what else is there to do?

Lavender Mint Julep:

In a julep cup, add 2-3 sprigs of mint. Fill to the top with crushed ice. Use your hand to cover the top of the glass, insert a muddler, and continue to crush the ice with the muddler (this will also crush the mint).

Add:
2 dashes Lavender Bitters
2 shots good Bourbon
2 shots simple syrup

If the drink is too dense, add a splash or two of water. (The general rule is that since Juleps are drunk outside on hot days, the ice will slowly melt into cool, cool water in the drink adding to the tastiness of it!)