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Today my wonderful apprentice Raina and I went on a mint mission to my branding guru’s farm to be with the mint, Mentha arvensis, to be exact. Its a bit later in the season than I would like for harvesting wild mint but to my surprise we hit the patch just at the perfect opportunity. Its best to harvest the mints just as the flowering stage has begun and this is what we found today. Now, harvesting mint requires one to venture into the eco-system that supports this herb’s growth, damp, moist, bog like conditions. Back in Alberta I would head to Blue Mountain Bio-Dynamic Farm and harvest from the old pond bed on their land. Here in the mountains it means looking for that bog like condition, perhaps with a stream, spring or creek running through it. Both conditions, Alberta and here, mean dealing with mosquitos and we came dressed for it today. Upon descent into the stand of plants we were greeted with the uplifting, fresh scent of mint, so lovely!
Picking a leaf here and there we rubbed the them together in our fingers and breathed in the fresh scent. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the stem of this mint was hairless. Knowing that wild mint has small hairs growing on the stems I realized that the mint we encountered was that of Mentha Piperita, common Peppermint, which has, over the years, escaped from cultivation at several sites in southwestern BC and become part of the wild. A healing plant, none the less, Raina and I set out to harvest a bundle for teas and icy refreshing drinks.
Coming back to the shop we discussed what we would create with the mint and through an awesome collaboration we decided that Kombucha Mojitos* were the best possible option. So refreshing and so nourishing! The abundance of fresh mint calms the digestive system while the Kombucha provides the benefits of a metabolic balancer, adaptogen, probiotic and a detoxifier which can help bring your body back into balance. Not to mention the fact that this drink can be made for pennies a glass. Enjoy with a bowl of chips and guacamole.
*Those who have signed up for the monthly Herbal Musings from Emery Herbals will receive the recipe for this awesome drink in this month’s mail out coming to your inboxes shortly. If you aren’t on this list just email me and I will add you!! Enjoy!
