Mint, mint and more mint !

[Adrienne]

Spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, lemon and pineapple flavored mint ~ did I forget any ?

So many varieties of mint, so tempting to plant them in the garden....

but then...what does one do with the mint, besides putting the leaves into tea ?

Any recipes using mint leaves ?

Any spiritual significance to mint ?

Dream Angel xx

Desserts such as icecream, icings, icetea.

Theres mint in greek food, toothpaste, homemade mouthwash, essential oils, insence, offerings, potpourii, alcholholic beverages ( if you of age of course:P). Then again, its nice just to break some leaves off and smudge them in your hand and enjoy the smell.

ITs also great for attracting beneficial insects, and apperantly has some beneficial health effects ( I cant remember them offhand, but i think it has to do with tonics, check out wikepedia, and ask a hmeopathic dr, or nutritionalist as well if you can).

[innerlight]

Spiritual significance? Not sure, but peppermint is very good for upset stomach.

[Adrienne]

hi Time,

I like the mint leaves in ice tea. I never really thought about adding it to food dishes, might have to check out some Greek recipes.

and what might a " beneficial insect " be ? I can't think of any ?

beneficial health benefits would be good, thanks for the suggestion to check it out.

Dream Angel xx

[Adrienne]

hi Inner,

good to know about peppermint being good for an upset stomach

as for the spiritual signifcance question, I had to have some reason to put the topic here on the forum

and who knows, there just might be some connection I / we may not know about any, but someone else might ?

Dreamie xx

ALmost all insects are beneficial. Bees and wasps pollinate, without them there wouldtnt be any fruit or veggies or flowers! Lady ugs eat aphids, theres big eyed bugs, and other predatory, and paracidic insects that eat all kinds of pests. Over 90% of all insects in yoru yard cause NO harm to any plant. Most things can cause problems, but if we let nature do its thing, things will come into balance. Most plants can handle siome aphids for a while. Whats wrong with a garden crawling with ladybugs?

All pesticides harm all life in the garden, especialy soil life ( the only reason things grow in the ground at all!), and insecticides kill good bags and ad ones.

Long story short, without bugs, mammals wouldnt exsist becasue almsot all our food is pollinated by insects. Can you hadn pllinating thousands of fruit trees by hand, when realizing that an apple tree can have thosuands of blossoms alone? Or how about an acre of food forest to get food? Grapes are wind pillinated, so is corn. other then that pertty much al lour food is dependant on insects

[Kaere]

I loooove mint. I remember visiting with my family in the states and we'd drive through fields and fields of mint. On a hot day it smelled so amazing.

When I grow mint, I generally use it as Time suggested - it's great in lemonade and iced tea (gotta crush the leaves a little though if you want it stronger). I wonder if they might taste nice in brownies or something else chocolatey?

If you're looking for some magic, wrap some mint up in a bit of cheesecloth and put it in your bath, when you're weaving a spell. Plant mint in your garden to attract money, spearmint for a loving home... of course all the magic in these is in the intent while you're using, create your own spell.

[Spiritlite]

I think mint is very uplifting in aromatherapy. It's a lovely herb and I remember eating it out of my mother's garden as a child.
Spiritlite.

ITs refreshing as hell. You can put mint in water and let it steep ( like lemon water NOT boiling water liek tea). If you add enough it apperantly makes a super refreshing cooling drink. I thinkits just called mint water. ( Kaere, I know for a fact they sell it at the bay, downtown calgary, and other stores outwest. I dont know any other spacific cities other then calgary though....

[Adrienne]

Quite the science lecture Time . Yes, now that you mention it, I did know of those beneficial insects you mentioned. Sorry, just at the moment I was asking you the question, I had mosquitos on the mind !

a garden crawling with ladybugs would be just fine !