Mint Juleps

Grandma Selma raised spearmint. It grew in a two-foot wide strip of dirt between the foundation of her house and the sidewalk. Mint is a perennial which spreads by runners which live just under the surface of the soil. The walkway prevented the plants from escaping and taking over the yard. Mint will grow in the shade, but it thrives in sunlight unless it gets too dry.

When we purchased our home, she graciously allowed me to transplant a few sprigs with a warning to keep it contained. I needed some greenery on the barren north side of the garage. Just in case it tried to get away, I made a border of bricks, burying them at an angle about 6 inches deep.  The mint transplanted well and stayed where I put it the first year.

The following year the vigorous underground runners crept up to the bricks, grew right over the top of them and took root on the other side.  The next year I chopped some out and gave it to my dad. The mint grew as fast as the recipe for Herman Friendship Cake. The more I pulled out and gave away, the more it spread until eventually a 10 X 20 area of my flower garden was knee deep in fragrant mint.

And it was durable! Kids, dogs, cats, nothing hurt it. We had a flock of ducks that liked to waddle through the patch catching the insects that were attracted to the plants. My dad used it as a mosquito repellent. In the early summer evenings, before he checked on his cattle, he would rub a handful of leaves on his arms and neck to keep the pesky bloodsuckers away.

After baking in the sun all his life, his skin must have been tougher than mine. I tried his all-natural bug dope once when I was mowing. I ended up staying in the house with what amounted to a chemical burn from the volatile oils in the leaves.

I gave up trying to corral the mint and let it grow, occasionally tricking my friends into taking some starts. Just for fun, I made mint jelly. You are supposed to serve it with lamb. Since I didn't know how to prepare lamb, I gave the confection away to anyone who would take it.  Dropping a few leaves in boiling water makes an all-natural air freshener. It is easy to dry and store for use in the winter. Just pick it before it blooms.

I received a phone call from a lady who identified herself as the wife of our meter reader. She had learned through him that we had a bed of spearmint. (I bet his shoes smelled like mint every month because he had to wade through it to get to the meter.) She explained that their daughter was getting married in a few weeks and that she and the bridegroom wanted to drink mint juleps at the reception. This lady and her husband had mint juleps at their own wedding.

She went on to say that they had checked into ordering mint leaves from a florist. Unfortunately, if they had to pay floral prices, they wouldn't be able to afford the drinks. Getting to the point, she asked if I would consider selling them some mint leaves.

Sell them? Lady, you can HAVE some. Would you like some plants so you can grow it yourself? Her husband must have told her how much mine had spread over the years, as she quickly assured me all she wanted was fresh leaves.

Oh, wait. I can't give this lady any of my mint, especially if it is going into beverages. My conscience wouldn't allow it. I sheepishly told her about the kids, and dogs, and ducks. Especially the ducks.

Undaunted, she assured me there was no problem.

No, really, ma'am. You don't understand about ducks. Ducks poop everywhere they go. Even if they haven't pooped on the mint, their feet are dirty, and they have walked on it. Really, I can not let you have any leaves.

Her daughter must have really had her heart set on drinking mint juleps at her wedding because I was informed any foreign substance would wash right off.

A couple of weeks later my meter reader, along with his wife, daughter and future son-in-law, showed up and picked mint while I stood by wringing my hands and wondering if duck poop caused salmonella or botulism. Did people catch typhoid fever these days? Apparently, my fears were unfounded. I didn't hear of an outbreak of food poisoning.

I planted the first spearmint starts in 1976. During the extreme drought of 2010 through 2012, a lot of the plants died. I still have a few plants in the shade of the garage and have been encouraging those to spread. By next summer it should fill in the gaps enough to start trying to give it away again. 

If anyone in my area wants to make a mint julep, I no longer have ducks.  :*)