Organic Spearmint

Description

Spearmint, or Mentha spicata, is one of the most recognizable mint flavors in the United States. 

Spearmint has a 0.5% essential oil content that is mainly composed of carvone and dihydrocarvone. The carvone gives spearmint its distinct scent. 

History of Spearmint

Spearmint was widely used in Athens, as people would rub it on their arms to use as a deodorant. 

In Roman mythology, Pluto’s wife Porsupine was said to have transformed one of her most despised rivals into the plant and both the Latin and Greek names, Mentha and Minthe respectively have become associated with the transformed beauty. 

Spearmint was considered a hallmark of good hospitality in Europe where it was crushed and added to bath water for guests to enjoy at their leisure. It was introduced to England by the Romans and is documented as “myntys” in a text from before the 15th century by John Gardiner. In the 16th century, the plant was renamed spere mynt to reflect the shape of the leaves of the plant. William Turner, a scientist known as the Father of British Botany was known to have said that spearmint was good for the stomach. Before refrigeration, it was cut and added to milk as it was believed to be able to extend milk’s shelf life. 

The pilgrims brought Spearmint over with them on their first voyage into America, where it had a sort of unremarkable trajectory in food history. Then during the year 1893, Wrigley Incorporated helped spearmint surge in popularity in America by introducing it in a breath-freshening gum. At first this gum was popularized by giving it away for free with the purchase of baking soda, but soon the chewing gum’s popularity grew exponentially, and it became a separate commodity. 

Organic Spearmint Cultivation

Mint grows easily and rapidly in the right conditions.

The spearmint plant has flowers on it that are lavender in color and can grow up to four inches long. The plant itself grows between 12 and 24 inches. It is a perineal plant that does well with partial shade and well-draining, rich soil. Moist soil is important to this plant as well, but it can drown if the soil is extremely wet. This is a plant that can spread like wildfire if not kept in check, and individual plants should be given one foot of space between them. Spearmint does not do well in the cold, so it is best to make sure it isn’t chilled in the winter. 

Caring for spearmint is very easy, as it only requires watering when the soil starts to dry. The plants need to be cut regularly and divided once every two years to remain healthy and prosperous. 

Our Organic Spearmint comes from Egypt. 

Types of Mint

There are many types of mint. Spearmint and its relatives are important in cooking because peppermint and the mint varieties related to it are often too pungent for culinary use. There are even some types of mint that are not actually mint but have a mint flavor, like Vietnamese mint and lemon mint. 

Cooking with Organic Spearmint

Spearmint is popular in India, where it is ground with coconut, green chiles, onion, green mango among other ingredients and used to flavor chutneys or curries. 

In Mexican cooking, spearmint is used in meat dishes and in desserts. While we in America think of spearmint as a dessert flavor, it is used frequently in savory foods in many other cuisines. 

Moroccan mint tea is one of the most popular instances of spearmint in food. This is one of the hallmarks of Moroccan cuisine, and you will find that any guests, invited or drop-in, will be welcomed into a Moroccan home with cup after cup of hot spearmint tea. For one cup of traditional Moroccan spearmint tea, you will need one teaspoon of Chinese gunpowder green tea, a teaspoon of organic spearmint, a teaspoon of sugar, and one mug full of boiling water. The amount of water can range from ½ cup to a whole cup depending on the size of your mug. Steep the tea, spearmint, and sugar in the boiling water for three minutes or so. Over steeping may make the drink bitter, so be mindful of the time. 

If you love pasta, you can incorporate spearmint into your pasta dinner with a spearmint pesto. Take one cup of this organic spearmint, half a cup of olive oil and four cloves of garlic, chopped. Combine these ingredients in a blender and then season with salt and pepper if desired. Add to your pasta and viola, a perfectly quick and tasty meal. 

Add dried organic spearmint at the beginning of the cooking process because it retains its flavor for quite a while as it is being cooked and it will permeate the whole dish. A few fresh leaves can be added to the top of the dish for the aromatic quality. 

Spearmint tastes excellent with basil, cardamom, cloves, cumin, dill, fenugreek, ginger, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, sumac and thyme. 

Dried vs. Fresh

Spearmint tastes slightly more pungent when dried versus when it is fresh because its cell walls break down just a bit, allowing for the essential oils to be released. 

Fresh spearmint is popular as a garnish in American cooking and can be chewed on after a meal to help freshen breath. 

What Does Organic Spearmint Taste Like?

Spearmint is refreshing, with a minty flavor. It is more subtle than the mint flavor of peppermint, and can thus be tolerated by even very sensitive palettes. 

Substitutions and Conversions

You can substitute dried spearmint with fresh spearmint in a 1:2 ratio. If the recipe calls for one cup of dried spearmint, two cups of fresh would be the substitute. 

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