Herb of the Month: Mint

Refreshing, Versatile Mint

If you want to grow an herb that thrives well and is difficult to kill, look no further than mint (botanical name Mentha). The many varieties of mint--peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and other fruit mints, even chocolate mint--are easy to grow and, once established, will produce copious amounts of fragrant leaves.

Growing Mint in the Garden

Again, mint is easy to grow--perhaps too easy. This herb can be invasive, so it's a good idea to plant it in a pot so that it doesn't take over the entire garden. Make sure the herb receives direct or partial sun, as well as plenty of water: it is all but impossible to over water mint. Some people I know plant mint right underneath a dripping water faucet, for example.

By Mokkie (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Harvesting and Using Mint

Pick leaves as needed, preferably before 10:00 a.m.--or before the day's heat arrives-- on the day you need them. Mint can be steeped in tea and enjoyed in its own right, or it can be taken for stomach upset and flatulence, among other stomach ailments. Mint can also be bruised and added into a sugar syrup: this sugar syrup can be added to various homemade desserts and candies, as well as the famed Mint Julep. And let's not forget about mint jelly.

Even sniffing the bruised mint leaves can be beneficial. The other day, the air conditioner in my house decided that it was a good day to die. While waiting for the air conditioner to be fixed, I found that sniffing mint leaves made it seem as if I were cooler: this is a handy psychological trick.

If there is a perfect herb, mint would be it. Happy gardening, and bon appetit!

Top Ten Inspiring Books for Gardening and Cooking

Top Five Books That'll Get You in the Spirit of Gardening or Cooking

It is blazing hot outside, so much that the hot temperatures zap the energy levels. I know that during a heat wave, all I want to do is to curl up quietly with a good book. Why fight it, when you can become inspired by gardening or cooking that happens in books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and for children?

Claude Monet [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons  

Here is my purely subjective Top-Five list, in no particular order:

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Little House in the Big Woods. Yes, this is a children's book, but adults can get quite a bit of inspiration of the pioneer days as well. The entire series will give you inspiration for the garden and for the kitchen, and leave your mouth watering at many points, but it's more pronounced in this first book of the series.

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Mistress of Spices. This is a novel about an immortal woman who is trained in the powers, healing and otherwise, of spices and who has to choose between keeping her vows of chastity--and her immortality-- and choosing romantic love. The colors, smells, and textures of the spices come alive in this work of fiction.

Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. This timeless children's book is about the blossoming of Mary Lennox: as she tends the locked-up garden that has suffered as much abandonment as she has. As the garden flourishes, so does Mary.

Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Another children's book, Heidi features mouthwatering descriptions of melted cheese on bread, as well as breathtaking wildflowers on the mountainside.

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Here's a classic nonfiction book that talks about how certain plants will help one another grow profusely.

Happy reading!

Weeding Zen

The Chore of Weeding: Zen? Really? 

Weeding is such a drag. Let's face it: weeding is boring, deadly dull. How in the world can weeding, arguably gardening's most tedious chore, be associated with Zen?

It depends, as with everything else, on your attitude. Weeding can be approached with dread, or it can be approached as an opportunity to relax and reduce stress. 

The next time you have to weed the garden, you might try the following meditation in motion: 

1. Sit comfortably; the lotus position is optional. You might want to use a durable cushion for added comfort.

2. Take three deep breaths. 

3. Think of all the stresses and bad habits you wish to remove from your life. 

4. Touch a weed and think of one of these stresses or bad habits. As you yank out the weed, visualize that stress or bad habit being yanked from your existence, forever. 

5. Keep doing this until you have run out of unpleasant, unfortunate tendencies to banish from your life. If weeds remain, you might think of various social ills that plague the world (war, various diseases, drought) and banish these ills. This strategy should yield you a weed-free garden and plenty of good karma.

By Jakub Kolář (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, another way to add zen to the chore of weeding is to use a guided meditation, with the help of an Ipod or similar device and headphones. One meditation I recommend , the Holy Dinger Uber Deep Meditation, is created by Leonie Dawson, founder of the Shining Biz and Life Academy (disclaimer: I am an affiliate for the Shining Biz and Life Academy: I use, recommend, and heartily endorse its programs).

May weeding chores be an opportunity for Zen-like peace for you. Happy gardening!