Curly Girl Farm

Here is this week's "What's in Season Article."

Mint: A Refreshingly Good Herb

I am often asked the question, by people who are not gardening aficionados, “What is the difference between an ‘annual’ and a ‘perennial’?” The simple answer is that an annual is a plant you have to re-plant every year (annually); it is not hardy enough to make it through the winter. A perennial is a plant that comes back each year. This Sunday is, of course, Mother’s Day. This is the day that many people will tell you it is safe to start planting your annuals in the ground. It seems to depend on who you talk to as to the “frost free” date for our area. My great-grandma always used to say not to plant anything before May 15^th. Still others say to wait until May 20^th. Whatever date you go by, there is really no guarantee that there will not still be a frost. The last couple of years we have had frost in some areas of the county even after the 20th. For most home gardeners this is not a huge worry. Your plants and flowers can be easily covered. For growers such as myself who put out thousands of vegetable plants each year (and my operation is small scale compared to most!) it can be risky business to plant too early. Right now we are all waiting for the ground to dry out, so it will push planting dates back a little anyway.

Not being able to do anything in the fields for the last couple of weeks I have turned my attention to cleaning up the flower beds and uncovering the perennials that are pushing their way up through the winter leaf debris cover. The first bed I tackled was my herb garden; many of which are perennials. Things like chives, sage, oregano, and even parsley, can make it through the winter. Even though it is too early to find very many local vegetables, it is so nice to be able to begin using fresh herbs again. One herb that seems common to most backyards, and is highly under-utilized, in my opinion, is mint. There are many types of mint, but regular old spearmint is my favorite. I was able to enjoy its flavor all winter because last fall I dried a bunch to drink in my tea. In my opinion, simple mint tea was better than any of the fancy fruit teas I purchased for a much higher price.

A big event this weekend is the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. My mom’s best friend, Carol, hosts a party every year to celebrate and watch the race. The ladies wear big hats just like they do at the actual race and drink mint juleps, which is the traditional drink of choice at the derby. Perhaps you have to be a mint lover such as myself to enjoy a mint julep, for they seem to get mixed reviews from those who have had them. Or, perhaps, they’ve just never had a good mint julep such as the ones prepared by Carol. Here is how she does it: Up to a week ahead of time you can make the “simple syrup” and store it in the fridge. To do this, bring equal parts water and sugar to a rolling boil then pour over an equal amount of mint leaves (i.e. one cup of each), let it steep for two hours, then strain out the mint leaves. When you are ready for your drinks, mix the syrup with an equal amount of good bourbon, and pour over crushed ice in a glass. If time allows, mix the syrup and bourbon ahead to “marry” the flavors. Another key is to crush the ice as finely as possible. Carol’s ice is almost as fine as shaved ice—that plus the mint makes for such a cool and refreshing drink.

If you like mint juleps, you may also like mojitos, another drink made with fresh mint. This time the mint is paired with lime juice, sugar, rum, and club soda. The lime and mint make an interesting and very refreshing combination. I ran across a very easy recipe that pairs those two flavors with asparagus. I probably wouldn’t have come up with that one on my own—but I tried it and it was really good. (simplyrecipes.com)

Asparagus with Lime and Mint

· 1 lb fresh asparagus

· Olive oil

· Salt & Pepper

· Juice of 1 fresh lime

· 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Sauté asparagus in olive oil over med/high heat for five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lime juice over asparagus and sprinkle on the mint.