If the mint harvest is particularly abundant, it can be wonderfully frozen and enjoyed months later.Use these tips to preserve the aroma.
If mint feels good in the herb bed or pot, it provides aromatic leaves in abundance. Freezing the mint is a good way to enjoy the refreshing taste even out of season. Aside from drying the mint, it's another great way to preserve the herb. The best-known representative of the mint is peppermint (Mentha x piperta), but Moroccan mint or mojito mint also have great aromas that can be preserved by freezing.
How do you freeze mint?- To preserve the aroma as best as possible, freeze all of the mint shoots. To do this, pre-freeze the shoots on a tray or plate. Then transfer to freezer bags or cans and close as airtight as possible.
- For freezing in portions, the chopped or whole mint leaves are filled with a little water in ice cube containers.
Mint can be harvested continuously during the spring-autumn season. The best time to harvest mint is just before flowering, as this is when the essential oil content is highest. On a sunny morning, grab your secateurs and cut the mint back by about half. Yellowed, rotting or dried out parts of the plant are removed. Gently rinse the intact mint shoots and pat them dry with the help of kitchen towels.
To prevent too many essential oils from evaporating, leave the leaves on the stems if possible and freeze all of the mint shoots. If you put them directly in the freezer, the papers will quickly freeze together. Pre-freezing is therefore advisable. To do this, lay out the mint leaves next to each other on a tray or plate and place them in the freezer for about one to two hours. The mint is then filled into freezer bags or cans and sealed airtight. Label the vessels with the date and type to keep track of the frozen harvest treasures.
You can keep the frozen mint shoots for about a year. Depending on the recipe, the leaves can be easily separated from the shoots without thawing and used for sweet or savory dishes. Pour boiling water over the frozen mint and you can make a soothing mint tea.
You can also freeze mint in ice cube trays for convenient servings. This is particularly useful if you later want to use the mint as a spice for warm dishes or sauces. Pluck the cleaned leaves from the stems and cut them finely. This works well with kitchen or herb scissors or with a chopping knife. Then put the crushed mint in the hollows of the ice cube tray so that they are about two-thirds full. Then all you have to do is fill them up with water and freeze them. To save space, you can later transfer the frozen mint cubes to a freezer bag or can. They can be kept for about six months and can be used without thawing. Important: For warm dishes, they are only added at the end of the cooking time.
Tip: If you would like to use individual mint cubes as a sophisticated eye-catcher for soft drinks and cocktails, it is best to freeze the whole leaves. Then just pour it into the glass and enjoy.