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August 21: Peppermint through the summer
Aug. 21st, 2010 09:18 pmMy two pots of peppermint have recovered well. They're not bushy and tender-leafed like they were in May and June, of course, but that's only because it's late summer.
Peppermint is a trailing plant. It takes root, grows upward, then puts out runners along the ground, and the runners also take root and put up shoots. Those first shoots in early summer grow tall and have lots of large, juicy leaves. If you harvest the mint or keep it pinched, it will grow more shoots and get more bushy with more tender leaves.
But by August, even if you've given the plant plenty of water and adequate shade, the growth slows down a lot. The leaves are small and the stems hard. Just like everyone else, the plant has to toughen up to make it through the harsh conditions. The water content in the leaves is lower.
What has surprised me most is that the flavor of the mint changes, too. In early summer, in those tender leaves, the peppermint oil is rich and sweet. But now, in the tough leaves, the flavor is almost sharp, stinging. I like to put peppermint sprigs in my bottle of drinking water, and in August the water tastes "planty" almost more than it tastes minty.
Peppermint is a trailing plant. It takes root, grows upward, then puts out runners along the ground, and the runners also take root and put up shoots. Those first shoots in early summer grow tall and have lots of large, juicy leaves. If you harvest the mint or keep it pinched, it will grow more shoots and get more bushy with more tender leaves.
But by August, even if you've given the plant plenty of water and adequate shade, the growth slows down a lot. The leaves are small and the stems hard. Just like everyone else, the plant has to toughen up to make it through the harsh conditions. The water content in the leaves is lower.
What has surprised me most is that the flavor of the mint changes, too. In early summer, in those tender leaves, the peppermint oil is rich and sweet. But now, in the tough leaves, the flavor is almost sharp, stinging. I like to put peppermint sprigs in my bottle of drinking water, and in August the water tastes "planty" almost more than it tastes minty.