Minty Fresh!

Aaaah,Wild  Mint! When I was a child growing up on MacArthur Road, it grew  in our yard and in the woods behind our house.  Our Mom would pick the leaves and toss them into salads, and add them to her  glass of iced tea.  We on the other hand, would rip off a leaf, sniff it, chew on it, and spit it out onto the ground. Gross, I know, but we were little kids and little kids do that sort of thing!    A couple of months ago, my husband and son returned from a local nursery with organic soil in preparation for the vegetables that were to be planted in  late  May. They also  had purchased a small plant that I  did not recognize.  "What is that, Justin?," I asked. "Smell it, Mom," he said. It smelled like mint but not the type I was accustomed to from way back when. He told me it was Grapefruit Mint. I was aware  there are many varieties of mint, in fact my friend Christine has an assortment of mint plants  in her yard.  Of course I immediately went to my laptop to Google information on this particular mint. Grapefruit Mint  (Menta x piperata citrata) Does well in sun and/or partial shade     Suitable for growing in containers  Attracts  birds,  bees, and  butterflies.  Height of 18" - 24" Flowers bloom late summer/early autumn Flowers are light blue to blue-violet in color and fragrant.  A hardy perennial Can be used dried or fresh  Use in Summer drinks and  fruit salads  I remember making sun tea years ago when my kids were little.Have you ever made sun tea? It is quite easy! All you need is a glass pitcher or jar. Add water, drop tea bags in, cover to keep the insects and other critters out and set in the  hot sun for hours...Let cool, add ice cubes...Presto, there is your sun tea! The other day I decided to test out out the grapefruit mint leaves. I randomly picked off  a few leaves, and  rinsed them off. I placed them in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and filled it with water. I set the measuring cup out on the deck and just let it do it's thing, soaking up the sun. A few hours later, I went outside to check on my concoction. The leaves had sunk to the bottom and the water had evaporated a bit. I removed half of the leaves and poured the rest of the liquid into a drinking glass and set it in the refrigerator for about an hour. I added ice cubes, gave the water a quick stir and offered the glass to Justin. The response I received was a positive one. Even without sugar it was absolutely delicious and refreshing! We are supposed to get a few days of rain, so it looks like I will  be trading the heat of the sun  for boiling water on the stove, and make a pitcher of Grapefruit Mint Tea for the family to enjoy.  :)