Well, I was going to recommend being a lush and making mojitos all the time, but I guess you could make some tea or sorbet or something :-P

Just be aware that it didn't get to be a huge patch without being invasive....it will gladly take over your whole yard if you let it.
You could make mint jelly or a classic mint vinegar sauce....but still it will grow faster than you can use it up!
Linda C

Spring is the time to start harvesting herbs for drying, especially mint. You can start harvesting mint almost as soon as it comes up in the spring. Young, tender leaves and stems have more flavor than the older ones.

-Taboulee time... We had a thread on that with lots of great recipes just recently, and traditional recipe usually include some mint.

-Add fresh mint to drained tuna for tuna salad, and dress it with lime vinaigrette instead of the usual mayo dressing.

-Herb vinegar made using fresh mint and orange peel. Use the vinegar as a marinade for lamb, in dressings for spring salads.

-Mint water: Twist or bruise 1 c. of peppermint, spearmint, or other mint. Place in a clean half-gallon container. Fill with cool water. Chill in refrigerator. Strain. Serve on ice.

-Drink a cup of mint tea for insomnia.

-Wash and dry mint you need to dry (I run it through the salad spinner to remove water). You can hang it in bundles to dry, but I prefer laying it in a single layer in the dehydrator at a low temperature (around 80-90 degrees F), or in the oven over a thin cotton dishtowel or layer of paper towel (to keep it from falling through the oven rack/s), and dry it with the light on to provide a constant heat source and dry environment. Allow to dry until withered and crispy. Strip the dried leaves off and store in an air-tight container (canning jar with a lid - vacuum-seal it if you have a FoodSaver with a jar attachment). To make mint tea pour boiling water over the leaves placed in an infuser.

-Grainlady

I too am mint-blessed. I dry it, make tabouleh, and use it in lots of types of salads, like butternut squash agrodolce or various tomato type salads. Also tsatsiki (a kind of cucumber and yogurt salad) and yogurt tahini sauce which I serve with falafel on pitas, but can be used as a marinade for grilled chicken or lamb. I put it in lemonade too, as a garnish. Great with fruit salad, as a garnish.

We have a bounty of mint right now (although confined to a large planter). Some ways I like to use it:

Finely chopped scallions and mint mixed into cooked peas
Greek salad with mint and parsley mixed into the lettuce
Parsley pesto served over lamb kabobs or fish
Mango-mint butter
Relish of oranges, mint and mangoes
Mint tea

Oh man - send it to me! My neighbor has a lovely patch and once again, her mow & blow guy beat me to it. He scalped the patch and sprayed round-up. I am going to have to go BUY mint for my derby day party!

But you already have some great suggestions. Enjoy it and rip up as much as you can.

A

I have only a small amount of mint, but I bought it to make youvarlakia or kefedes - I used more mint in the recipe than was called for. I've had youvarlakia that had all mint instead of dill, and so you can make that substitution. Mint is used in a lot of Greek meat dishes, but you can also look at Persian recipes as well.

BTW, I have not been able to find dried mint in the grocery stores, and so drying some would be a good idea. I keep my mint in a pot so that it does not take over - it grows very quickly in the winter when we get rain.

Lars

We ate at Cascina Spinasse in Seattle on a recent trip, and although my DH doesn't like mint, it was used with sauteed ribbons of zucchini for an absolutely amazing dish. I never would have thought of using mint for this dish, but it went beautifully with the usual seasonings (salt, pepper, EVOO).

Another interesting use for it was at Bouchee in Carmel. Chef Andre Lemaire made a lovely roasted lamb shoulder, and served it with an au jus that was blended with a mint infusion. I'm not one of those mint-jelly-with-lamb fans, so I was surprised at how much I liked this. I'm not a fan of sweet sauces with meat, which is probably why I don't like the whole mint jelly thing. But this was a savory sauce, just given a lift with the fresh herb, and it was wonderful.

I was going to say juleps and mint jelly, but I've been beaten to it.

I don't know of anything else, I don't like the stuff at all and it took me years to eradicate the patch I had in the yard when I moved in.

Annie

Well, I thought I posted this earlier?

Chop up some fresh mint and add it to a hot, simple syrup of water and sugar. Let it steep as it cools, refrigerate, and pour over fresh cut fruit, chill well before serving.

Teresa

Teresa, you more or less beat me to it! I make mint simple syrup and use it for iced tea. What's his name doesn't like mint so that solves the problem. I like to sweeten tea when I make it so the sugar dissolves but with the simple syrup it has already dissolved.

jude

Gardengrl:

I have a lot of Mint growing out front.
A few neighbors have asked if they could have some.

One said she used it in Spaghetti Sauce.
My Grandmother did the same.
You can also use it a an Air freshener or Mouth freshener.

Add it to Ice Cream or Chocolate.

This is only the tip of the Iceberg. There are many other uses.

LOU

I'll tell you what I do with an abundance of mint. I have no idea how "safe" this is, but I've been doing it this way for years. A British friend, married to a Thoracic surgeon, stored her mint in honey, in the fridge. She chopped it up, put it into little baby food size jars and covered it in honey. This was something she had done all her life.

If you are worried about safety, freeze it.

Ann

When I make my version of an Indian dish call Saag Paneer, I use a mint chutney. I don't have a recipe for the chutney but I bet it would use lots of mint, and it tends to keep for months in the fridge.

Also Teresa above mentioned the simple syrup with mint poured over fruit. An aunt we were visiting in Southern France did that with freshly picked peaches as an appetitizer, and it was wonderful.

Thanks everyone, I needed a brain jog!

Ok, mint simple syrup is a must (iced tea and those juleps!). I think I am going to whiz up a little pesto once I get enough basil. And I totally forgot about mint ice cream with chocolate chips! YUMM!