Our spring herb garden is doing so well, I just had to share with you! I mean share the news and pics, of course, but if you need any cuttings, stop on over and I’ll share that too.
What We Have
The basil is over the top and I am so happy. Usually when I buy a basil plant it gets brown and dies quickly or it gets leggy and goes to seed. This plant is bushy and just keeps getting better and better. I wish I could remember where I got it.
Our larger container has thyme, rosemary and parsley. I have harvested the parsley several times for tabbouleh. On my last trip to the nursery, I picked up a flat-leaf parsley plant because I think it would be easier to chop for recipes. It’s not quite ready yet.
I took off some cuttings, made some cute little bouquets and now these herbs are ready to use or dry for later.
Mint
New to my garden this spring is mint. I know mint needs to be carefully corralled or it takes over, so I got two plants and they each have their very own pot.
Who knew there are a million varieties of mint? The lady at the nursery spent so much time with me I was a little embarrassed. Like, umm, I wanted something to make tea and a gin drink. That’s it.
Oh, no, not so simple, my friend. She had:
- Spearmint
- Peppermint
- Chocolate mint
- Strawberry mint
- Apple mint
- Mojito mint
- Banana mint
Like the Bubba Gump of mint.
She showed me all of these and more! It was overwhelming. At the end of the day I settled on strawberry mint for tea and mojito mint because it’s large leaves are easy to muddle.
And I whipped up a couple of drinks for myself this weekend.
Virgin Mojito
This beautiful and refreshing mocktail couldn’t be easier to make.
- 10 mint leaves
- Juice of ½ lime
- Mint infused simple syrup in the same amount as the lime juice (about 1 Tbsp)
- Club soda
- Ice
- Lime slice and mint leaves for garnish
- Place mint leaves and lime juice in a small bowl and muddle leaves to release the flavor. I used a wooden spoon handle since I don’t have a muddler.
- Add juice and leaves to the bottom of a glass and add simple syrup.
- Fill with ice.
- Top with club soda.
- Garnish with lime and mint leaves.
Mint-Infused Simple Syrup
Boil ¼ cup water and add ¼ cup sugar and 5 or 5 mint leaves. Stir until sugar is dissolved and after 10 minutes strain to remove the mint leaves.
Strawberry Mint Tea
Let that not be confusing. I did NOT use any strawberries for this tea. Just strawberry mint.
- Pour boiling water over 8-10 mint leaves and let steep 4-5 minutes. Remove the leaves. Add simple syrup or honey if desired.
Lovely after-dinner drink.
These mint drinks don’t really have any health benefits because there is so little essence in them. But mint in general is healthy and I’m going to see if I can incorporate more of it into my life.
What I’m Reading
On audio, Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer came available so I could finish the last hour and a half. Ugh. It’s crazy I wanted to finish the darn thing. It kept making me cringe hearing a 90-year-old vampire desiring a 17-year-old high school girl. Honestly.
The appeal is completely due to the narrator, Jake Abel. I hope he continues his narration career.
Also on audio, I finished Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout. To be honest, this got off to a slow start for me, but I ended up really liking it. This is the first book by Strout I have read and I’ll certainly add her to my list of good authors.
Intertwined characters made for what is almost a series of short stories. Place plays a big part of the book and is charming.
Recommend.
I checked off another Dean Koontz Nameless short story, but it’s not really worth mentioning. On to my next big reading adventure.
Wrap Up
My calendar for the week is quite full and so is my heart because so many dear to me want to actually spend time with me. Oh, and my dentist is on there too. He’s probably not that interested in being my friend.
But. I am so grateful for those of you on my journey. God bless.