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Grow your own mint garnish
- Thread starter Kahikina
- Start date
That is an awesome idea! My home Tiki Room has an attached patio that is east facing and gets plenty of morning sun.
I wonder what other garnishes would be worth growing? I'm not much of a gardener but am willing to learn.
I wonder what other garnishes would be worth growing? I'm not much of a gardener but am willing to learn.
LehuaMonsoon
New member
Mint is super easy to grow. My front yard is overrun by them since I made the mistake of putting it into the ground. I wish I had a contained area like Kahikina, that would have been more manageable. I didn't even buy my mint plant, it was a garnish on the side of my Vietnamese salad. I brought it home and stuck the sprig into water and it rooted, I planted it in my yard and now the suckers are popping up all over the place and I tear them out by the handfuls and throw them into my green waste because I have so much and none of my neighbors know what to do with them. Now that I'm into tiki drinks, though, I will not throw them away since I know they make the best garnish!
Another thing you may be able to grow is the Kaffir Lime. The leaves give off a very nice aroma when crushed and used a lot in Thai curries. The fruit smells simply amazing when you cut into it, it's like a lime with a vanilla smell. The lime doesn't have much juice but the leaves and the lime rind smells divine. Finger lime is much more rare, and the fruit is like a long finger filled with little lime balls that pop in your mouth, kind of like a mini-boba. It's subtly sour and adds a great texture. You could probably line a cocktail glass rim with Finger lime, or put it on your oysters/sushi/desserts.
Basil could be used in some drinks sparingly, I suppose, as lavender and it's flowers. I've seen the agastache flower stems used as a cocktail garnish on rareseeds.com
Hot chilis could be steeped into vodka, as with lemon grass.
I grow all of these in my garden except for the agastache and lavender - too hot in Hawaii, I think.
Another thing you may be able to grow is the Kaffir Lime. The leaves give off a very nice aroma when crushed and used a lot in Thai curries. The fruit smells simply amazing when you cut into it, it's like a lime with a vanilla smell. The lime doesn't have much juice but the leaves and the lime rind smells divine. Finger lime is much more rare, and the fruit is like a long finger filled with little lime balls that pop in your mouth, kind of like a mini-boba. It's subtly sour and adds a great texture. You could probably line a cocktail glass rim with Finger lime, or put it on your oysters/sushi/desserts.
Basil could be used in some drinks sparingly, I suppose, as lavender and it's flowers. I've seen the agastache flower stems used as a cocktail garnish on rareseeds.com
Hot chilis could be steeped into vodka, as with lemon grass.
I grow all of these in my garden except for the agastache and lavender - too hot in Hawaii, I think.
I had never heard of that type of lime. I had to look it up. Interesting looking.
Spearmint? Peppermint? Is there a preferred type of mint for Tiki garnishes? Or is there a mint that is just called "mint"?
I've always just known this as a "mint" plant. I guess I never really gave it much thought. After looking on a few garden sites, it looks like I am growing a cross between these two. (looks closer to spearmint) I promise you, the Mai Tai will be delicious whichever one of these you place in the glass.
peppermint
spearmint
peppermint
spearmint
I agree; yours looks more like spearmint. Thanks!
There are many, many, many different varieties of mint. Some are true species, others are hybrids. I currently have a pot of spearmint growing well. For a long time I had chocolate mint and lemon mint. I always hear about folks worried it will take over their yard if planted in the ground. This could be a concern depending on your climate. Mint loves sunny, moist and comparatively cool locations. Whenever I've planted it in the ground in Central Texas it grows well during the spring but is suffering by July and dead by August. Watering heavily only staves off perishing briefly. Once temperatures approach triple digits F, the stuff just withers. Last year I lost two pots full despite my best efforts due to the prolonged heat and drought we suffered through.
I also have thornless Mexican lime and Ponderosa lemon growing in pots -- citrus, other than some satsumas and kumquats -- won't survive our (relatively mild) winters.
I also have thornless Mexican lime and Ponderosa lemon growing in pots -- citrus, other than some satsumas and kumquats -- won't survive our (relatively mild) winters.
Looking good @Milton Moai
That stuff grows like a weed. You'll need to keep it pruned by using it in Mai Tais & Mojito's pretty often!
That stuff grows like a weed. You'll need to keep it pruned by using it in Mai Tais & Mojito's pretty often!
One of my mint plants has sprouted flowers! Conical purple little flowers. Does this mean anything? Am I not using it fast enough? Are the flowers especially good for anything? I'm not much of a botanist as you can tell. (edit: they don't look purple in the photo, but they do have a slight lavender cast in person)
I do have one in the ground, hoping it takes over. This one in the pot is so I can bring it inside in the winter.
Okay, looking for tips for Mint in the winter. The temperatures are grazing the freezing point overnights here in The Windy City, so I brought my potted mint plants inside and put them in a south-facing window. Only they immediately started to wither! Turning brown, dropping leaves, getting crunchy. I think they miss the outdoors.
So I put the pot back outside. I figure it will have a better chance of survival if it goes into natural hibernation with it's brethren plants in the ground. Is this a good strategy? Any other tips on getting any survivors to make it to Spring? Thanks, gang! And Mahalo and happy Thanksgiving!
So I put the pot back outside. I figure it will have a better chance of survival if it goes into natural hibernation with it's brethren plants in the ground. Is this a good strategy? Any other tips on getting any survivors to make it to Spring? Thanks, gang! And Mahalo and happy Thanksgiving!
Does it survive from one summer to the next? Or do you have to replace it every year?
Drastic temperature change is as good a hypothesis as any, I suppose. I don't know
When I was in Arizona I had success growing my mint. The only problem I ran into with the mint on my porch was it would get covered with a layer of dust/dirt and id wash it off and it would be kinda soggy and not as freshly strong it seemed because I was washing off some of the oils probably. My indoor plant did good but there was only so much I could harvest off it before I had to let it grow back
