We’ll tell you how to dry peppermint and thus preserve it. We also show you how to use the delicious leaves.
If you want to dry peppermint, you should cut it right before flowering. At this point, the mint contains a very high proportion of aromatic substances, which are retained even after drying. Flowering begins in June.
Dry peppermint: how it works
First cut off the stems. Make the cut above the last pair of leaves above the ground. Use a pair of scissors and place the stalks in a basket or cloth bag.
If possible, avoid washing the peppermint stems. In this way, the aroma is better preserved.
Remove the leaves from the stems.
Place the leaves individually on a grid.
Put the leaves in a breezy, warm place. However, do not expose them to direct sunlight.
Turn the leaves every now and then.
After two weeks at the latest, the mint should be completely dry.
You can also tie the stems into small bundles and hang them upside down to dry:
Tie no more than ten stems together.
It is important that the peppermint bouquets get air from all sides.
After the leaves have dried, you can carefully strip them off the stem. Then pour it into a screw-top jar.
Mint will keep for several months in a dark, dry place.
How to use dried peppermint
You can use dried peppermint in many ways, for example:
as an ingredient in leaf and pasta salads
as a freshly brewed peppermint tea that not only tastes delicious, but also soothes an upset stomach
in sauces and soups
as a spice in oriental dishes and dips, for example couscous salad
as a syrup, boil one kilogram of sugar with one liter of water and add two handfuls of dried mint
as an additive for bath water
in scented sachets
