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Mint (Mentha) in all of its various forms has been a part of my gardening and foraging life for as long as I can remember. Wild spearmint grew in the woods around the house I grew up in western Pennsylvania and I can remember gathering it as a child. Several different kinds have been growing in my gardens here in northwest Montana for at least 20 years. Every year, I dry a good bit for winter tea drinking and make a batch of infused honey.
It’s one of those herbs that earns its space in the garden twice over, useful in the kitchen all winter and genuinely helpful medicinally too. If you grow mint you know how abundantly it produces, which makes having several preservation methods on hand a practical necessity rather than an ambitious project.
How to Harvest Fresh Mint
Like most herbs, harvest the mint before it flowers for best flavor.
After the morning dew has dried off, cut the stalks about an inch from the ground and bring them inside.
Rinse
Remove any surface dirt or insects by giving the mint a quick rinse under running cold water.
Give the stems a good shake over the sink to remove excess water. Running the stems through a salad spinner is also a great way to remove excess moisture.
Spread the stems out onto a towel to let any other moisture evaporate. This should take just a couple of hours at most. Once the stems and leaves are dry of surface water, it is time to proceed with the dehydration process.
How to Dry
You can dry mint in a few different ways. Choose the method that works best for you and your climate.
Hang Dry
One of the easiest ways to dry herbs is simply to tie them in bunches and hang.
Grab a handful of stems, about 20 total, so that the cut ends all line up at one end of the small bunches.
Tie some twine or leftover yarn around the end of the stem. You can even use a rubber band to hold the bunches together. Tie it very tightly, as the stems will shrink as they dry and can slip out.
Hang the bunches on a hook or over a hanger in a space that is out of direct sunlight and has good air circulation.
This method works best for folks who are lower in humidity generally speaking. If you live in a climate with high humidity the herbs may actually mold before they dry.
Dry in a Food Dehydrator
If you have a food dehydrator with a fan, like an Excalibur, just know that once the mint dries it may blow around the dehydrator. Not necessarily bad, just a little messy.
Cut the stems of mint to fit onto dehydrator trays. Spread the stems out on the trays in a single layer and place trays in the dehydrator.
Turn the dehydrator to the lowest temperature and close the lid. Let the dehydrator run until the leaves are crispy and dry. Check after 1 hour and then every 15 minutes after, the amount of time until fully dry will again depend on your dehydrator and climate.
Dehydrate in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit or the lowest possible temperature. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the mint stems out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Check the leaves and make sure they are crispy dry. If the leaves aren’t completely dry, continue the drying process in the oven and check every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are completely dry.
Let cool completely on the cookie sheet.
Removing the Leaves
If the stems were tied together to dry, cut them loose.
Over a large bowl, hold the dried stems a couple at a time and make a loose fist around the stem. Take your fingers and slide them down the entire stem, stripping the leaves and collecting them in the bowl.
Repeat this step until all the stems have been stripped.
How to Store Dried Mint
Place the dried mint into airtight containers. Glass jars work just fine. Store the dried herbs in a cool, dark, dry place.
For best flavor, use up dried mint within a year. Simply toss outdated dried mint into the compost heap.
How to Use Dried Mint
Use 1 teaspoon of dried mint for every 1 Tablespoon of fresh mint called for in a recipe.
Use the dried mint to make an herbal tea or to crumble into recipes. It also makes for a delicious mint hot chocolate.
How to Freeze Mint
Remove the fresh leaves from the stems and chop finely. Place 1 – 2 teaspoons in each of the individual compartments of ice cube trays. Fill the tray with water and freeze until solid.
Remove the ice cubes from the tray and store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Make a Compound Butter
Combine 1/2 cup softened butter with 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves. Beat them together well using an electric mixer.
Scrape the mint butter out of the bowl and wrap in a wax paper or piece of plastic wrap. Freeze until solid.
Use this compound butter to make things like chocolate chip cookies or other desserts for a mint infused flavor.
Infuse Vinegar
Fill a jar 3/4 full with chopped, fresh mint leaves (1/4 full with dried mint) and fill the jar with apple cider vinegar. Store the jar in a cool, dark place for 1 month. At the end of the month, strain the herbs and put the infused vinegar in a clean airtight jar.
Use the vinegar as part of a marinade, in salad dressings, and any other way you’d use plain vinegar.
Infuse Honey
Mint infused honey is an amazing way to get flavor and healing in a single sweet jar. Fill a jar half full with fresh leaves (1/4 full if using dried leaves), fill the jar leaving 1/4″ headspace with liquid honey. Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid and place in a sunny window for 1 month.
Turn the jar over now and then, to move the herbs and honey around the jar to infuse fully.
At the end of the month, strain the herbs from the honey and store the flavored honey in an airtight jar.
Use the flavored honey to sweeten tea, in baking, and sauces.
The Health Benefits of Mint
Mint has long been used to ease stomach issues. Drink the tea to help with indigestion and nausea. Use mint to help you sleep by mixing it with chamomile or lemon balm for a relaxing herbal blend.
As always check with your healthcare provider before using herbs medicinally and avoid if allergic.
I guess I never knew mint helped with digestion. I especially love your mint honey idea….I love that is tasty and good for you too!
Mint is one of the oldest and best remedies for an upset stomach and for sure my go-to remedy. The mint infused honey is pretty darn awesome, make tons of it because it’s great for gifts too!
{sigh} I’m still waiting for my mint to take over. I planted it in a spot that would be great for that and it’s just not co-operating. I love these ideas. I’m pinning it to come back to. Thanks for sharing!
I wonder if it’s the heat in your neck of the woods? Just you wait, someday you might live to regret these words, ha!
My mint is taller than my front porch! This is my first year with veggies, herbs, apples and I can’t pick it all fast enough. Thanks for the information it is very helpful
@Angi @ SchneiderPeeps, it loves sun, do you have it in a sunny spot?
Nice. I’ll try some of these tricks when autumn arrives and it’s harvesting time.
I loved reading this article, but I do have a question! I am not familiar with ‘pesto’…. what do you use it for and how do you make it? Thank you!!!!
Pesto is most commonly a sauce made of basil and pine nuts with some olive oil and parmesan cheese, but can be made with most any combination of herbs and nuts. Most folks eat it over pasta or rice, eat it as a dip, there are few recipes linked in the body of the text that give some great combinations.
Yumnmmmm thank you!
I have several flavors of mint,I live in Teas and my mint grew outside all winter. It’s is so very pretty.I grow it in a self watering pot. Thanks for all the drying ideas.
love the article. My mint has already bloomed, can I still harvest it or trim it so it can start again?
Absolutely. Once it flowers it has a tendency to lose a little strength but it’s still flavorful and completely edible. Harvest and trim, It’ll likely grow plentiful again before winter hits.
Can mint and other herbs be dried in a hay or feed barn, or will it likely be eaten by something flying or looking for food? If not, how about a laundry room? Thanks!
I would say indoors is best and for sure the laundry room will work great!
Great ideas Kathie! I finally decided where to plant my potted mint (after careful consideration) and it seems to be very happy. Thanks to you, I will be creating mint honey, mint pesto (I love Indian food and mint is often used in recipes to help cool the spices), and mint jelly. Or, how about mint cordials, mint lemonade…oh my, you have the creative thoughts going. Thank you!
How exciting! I can’t wait to hear how it all turns out.
@Michelle,
I make mint jelly every year, and this year, for some reason it didn’t gel up. So I didn’t let it go to waste, I poured it in a gallon of tea, and it was fantastic!
That, of course, sparked a thought, and now I am canning mint simply syrup. 😋😁
I am making apple mint jelly. May I use the stems as well as the leaves? Thank you.
Sometimes the stems can be a little bitter so I tend to avoid them. The bitterness is my only concern.
@Carol, I love apple mint jelly!
after you dry leaves for tea ,how do you store to last a long time. what would be best storage, thanks
I just use glass jars and store in a dark cabinet.
Can you eat the flowers of the mint? I also have a huge sage bush. Can you eat the flowers of the sage?
You can eat the flowers of both sage & mint – the flavor is usually milder than the leaves.
When I try to use the Pinterest button I get a message saying that this site does not allow Pins. Wondering what’s going on!
It’s fixed! ?
It was a strange little glitch that happened kind of overnight and took us a while to figure out. Thank you for trying more than once.
I love growing mint and but very seldom use any of it. Thank you, you have inspired me.
Oh, I’m glad to hear it! Enjoy that mint!
We have mint growing all around the back of the house and have not had any mossies in 7 years. I will be trying your recipes. Robyn
Oh it is good at keeping the mice away. Enjoy your harvest!
Can I vacuum pack my fresh mint and freeze for later?
I would freeze it in ice cubes first then vacuum pack those. Just freezing it alone, I’m not sure how well that would work. Though you could try a small batch and see if it works for you.
If you freeze it alone it turns brown. I’ll try the water method.
Does wild mint require different tactics? My wild mint seems to be a bit bitter when I use it, even fresh — any ideas?
Try harvesting when it’s younger and see if that makes a difference in the bitterness. There really shouldn’t be a difference in how you preserve it but some wild mint just has a slight bitterness as it ages.
When planting in pots, should the pots be left outside or taken in during freezing winters? Thanks!
Mint is pretty hard but if the pots aren’t buried, I’d bring them inside but that might depend on your local climate and how far below freezing it gets.
@Jan, I’m in zone 9b in Florida, I harvested some into a glass jar with water and left it over night in my container pot outside when it went down to 25 and it survived.
I live in west Tn and left my spearmint in a pot out all winter . It was the first thing to green up and is huge huge here at the end of May
I loved this post so much I signed up! You offer so much content. I thought I was using my mint a lot but never thought of freezing or drying it. This will be game changer since I can’t get fresh herbs out here in the country. Better start growing them indoors next.
Hi I make a salad with watermelon,mango,and crushed mint leaves. If you like you can add a jalapeño thinly sliced too.
Yum!
I plant mint next to the grass and love that it spreads so when I mow it smells heavenly.
Hi, I have a question about freezing mint. You say after it’s frozen to put it in containers. Do I thaw it first? Is it frozen into cubes, or just enough water to cover it? I went to the amazon link for the containers and I’m just wondering how I fit the frozen mint into those little containers. Sorry if a stupid question…I just can’t visualize. I have a TON of mint and want to use it in the winter (it just won’t grow for me indoors and my plants “die off” after the first freeze – they always come back though).
I would put 1 teaspoon of mint into each ice cube and cover with water. You could thaw it first, if you don’t want the extra water in whatever you’re cooking. If it’s a soup or something, I’d just toss the whole cube into the broth and let it melt.
If your using vodka with The mint to get the extract, wouldn’t that make the extract have alcohol in it once done? I need to know because I have three young kids, I’m looking for safe recipes I can use with them.
It is for sure going to have alcohol in it – most extracts do – even vanilla extract from the grocery store is 35% alcohol. If you’re going to use it in cookies or cakes, the alcohol is going to cook out and I wouldn’t worry about it for kids. I would not however, serve it children in anyway other than something that was baked or cooked in some way.
I have had mint for several years, but have never used it. I harvested and dried some and am having my first cup of tea from it. Very good!
Can I get a fresh mint leaf or a couple of leaves and boil it for tea to drink it on the spot? Or do I have to dry it first??
You can absolutely use it fresh – use 3 Tablespoons of fresh (as opposed to 1 Tablespoon of dried) for 8 ounces of water for tea.
@Kathie Lapcevic, a sprig of fresh mint in iced tea makes a wonderful refreshing beverage on a hot day.
Is this peppermint or spearmint?
Either will work in similar ways.
Thank you for the info, how long does mint infused honey last? And do you have to strain the leaves out of the honey?? I have some I made 2 years ago is it still OK?
@Sharon, honey is forever. It wouldn’t get off. It can loose propierties, but it will be edible. And 2 years is maybe the time that it spend in a supermarket before you buy it.