Mint

I have mint coming out of my ears! A few years ago I  moved a few scrawny sprouts to my new garden. If you know anything about mint you'll know that in a year it was thriving and after another year it was taking over my garden! Every year I pull it up with the weeds and still it takes over more ground every year! I don't know what to do short of poisoning it and I'm not ready to do that yet.
Moral of the story: Always plant your mint in a contained area, preferably a large pot!

Even though it drives me crazy every spring and summer I still love mint. It's so refreshing. I love to pick a sprig and just stand there, inhaling its pungent scent.

I think my favorite way to use mint is to put it in my sweet tea. Being a Southern girl I love my sweet tea! A lot of people like to add a few mint leaves in their tea as a garnish; I prefer to add it in with my tea bags and let the flavor really seep in. It makes for a very refreshing cup of good ole' sweet tea, perfect for a hot day!

Here's my mom's recipe for sweet tea:

Bring a small pan of water to a boil.
Add one-and-a-half cups of sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove pan from heat.
Add four family-size tea bags (Or twelve regular size) and about six sprigs of mint.
Let steep for at least five minutes (the longer the better).
Next, pour the concentrated tea through a strainer into a gallon size pitcher.
Fill the pitcher the rest of the way with water.

P.S. Let me know if you'd like any mint!