Mike Petro wrote"
> I grow some of my own spearmint, can anyone tell me how they use fresh
> spearmint in their tea? I do know that a nice big sprig n the glass
> makes a nice presentation and adds a hint of aroma and flavor. What's
> the best way to dry it?

I grow several mints, mainly for iced tea. (Haven't tried it with Puer yet,
but soon...) Peppermint and spearmint both seem to work well; the fancy ones
seem too fruity to me. I would never dry it - too much loss of delicate top
notes. Fortunately, mint is plentiful from well before to well after the
iced-tea season here.

When using, I generally take about two leaves per cup, bruise by rolling
between clean palms, and throw into the mix.

An alternative to drying, which works well for all sorts of fresh herbs, is
to freeze the moist leaves. Bags and jars work; needs to be airtight to
avoid freezer burn given the high surface area. Cell damage from freezing
releases even more taste.

I used to grow mint indoors for winter pleasure, but always got aphids.
"Safer soap" insecticide works fine and washes off, but I couldn't be
bothered.

-DM