Wild mint is wonderfully fresh and lingers on my nasal hairs and taste buds! I love it! Mint is also a natural digestive and can help settle upset stomachs and treat colds. Here I share 4 different wild mints – from water mint to apple mint – where to find them and how to identify them.
By the way, have you seen my Mint and Coconut Fridge Cake recipe? Its a delicious and unusual way to enjoy wild mints.
Wild mint is a common sight along stream banks, meadows, and woodland edges across North America. Its cool, refreshing fragrance tempts foragers to harvest a few leaves for tea or culinary use. But is this wild edible safe to enjoy? Let’s explore identifying wild mint and delicious ways to use it.
What Exactly is Wild Mint?
There are over 15 species of native mint in the Mentha genus found growing wild. Common varieties include:
- Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
- Peppermint (Mentha x piperita – a natural hybrid)
- Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
- Corsican mint (Mentha requienii)
- Cornmint (Mentha arvensis)
Wild mint thrives in damp soils along streams, meadows and woodland edges. Once established, it spreads vigorously via underground rhizomes. This aromatic plant blooms all summer providing nectar for pollinators. It’s also browsed by deer, rabbits and other wildlife.
Identifying Wild Mint
Most wild mints are safe to eat, but some toxic look-alikes exist. Proper identification is key before harvesting wild plants. Here’s how to positively ID wild mint:
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Square Stems – All mints have square stems when viewed in cross section. Roll a stem between your fingers to check.
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Minty Aroma – Crush a leaf and sniff True mints smell distinctly minty when bruised
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Toothed Leaves – Leaves are ovular with toothed edges, arranged oppositely along square stems
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Two-Lipped Flowers – Flowers have an upper and lower lip, a signature of mints.
When in doubt, use a foraging guide or consult an expert for assistance. Avoid pennyroyal and other toxic mint relatives.
Harvesting and Preserving Wild Mint
Once identified, wild mint is easy to harvest and enjoy:
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Snip leafy stem tips or individual leaves anytime during the growing season.
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For drying, cut stems just before flowering when flavor is most concentrated.
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Rinse mint gently, then pat or air dry thoroughly before storing.
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Store fresh mint wrapped in damp paper towels in the fridge for about a week.
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To dry, lay mint on screens or hang bundles in a warm, dark place until crumbly.
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For long term storage, freeze dried leaves or keep in airtight containers.
Enjoying Wild Mint
Both fresh and dried wild mint add amazing flavor to foods and drinks. Delicious ways to eat it include:
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Make refreshing mint tea, hot or iced. Sweeten with honey if desired.
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Add chopped mint to fruit salads, salsas, chilled soups and gazpacho.
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Mix into lemonade, mojitos, juleps or summer cocktails.
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Use in Middle Eastern dishes like tabbouleh, raitas and lamb.
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Make simple syrup by steeping mint in sugar water to use in drinks.
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Use as a rub or marinade for lamb, chicken or fish. The cooling flavor complements meats.
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Stir into creamy desserts like mint chocolate ice cream, smoothies and milkshakes.
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Candy leaves by coating in egg whites and sugar to garnish cakes and pies.
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Mix with basil, cilantro and chives as a seasoning blend for pastas, grains and veggies.
Health Benefits of Wild Mint
Mint contains menthol, a natural compound with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Herbalists often recommend mint to help:
- Soothe upset stomach, nausea and motion sickness
- Relieve cough, congestion and headaches
- Reduce bloating, gas and cramping
- Ease skin, mouth and throat irritation
- Boost immunity and fight illness
Always consult a healthcare provider before using any herb medicinally. But culinary and medicinal use of wild mint has a long history of safe use when enjoyed wisely.
Foraging for Wild Mint
Once you’ve found it, you’ll likely want to welcome wonderful wild mint into your own garden. Mint couldn’t be easier to grow. Look for it flourishing in sunny, moist areas in the wild. Then plant cuttings or transplants into rich, damp soil in your own landscaping. With proper identification, abundant wild mint is there for responsible harvesting and adding refreshing flavor to your plate.
Introducing edible wild mints
I have to say that I found this blog on foraging for wild mints surprisingly difficult to write and match with photos. Ive been finding and picking wild mints for years, yet when I came to identifying them I got a little stuck! They hybridise and morph into differing varieties so easily, it can be difficult to know what is what! Though heres my attempt in as simple form as possible…
A common mint found at, youve guessed it, rivers, streams and boggy areas. It isnt the only waterside mint, though it is the most abundant one. It terminates in a single flower on top! The leaves are downy and the stalks are hairy too.
Like all mints, it hybridises with other mints, in this case with corn mint (Mentha arvenis) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) so the shape and structure can vary . Find it in wet, grassy areas and by fresh water.
Spearmint is the most frequent garden mint, with long leaves and long flower heads too. The with flowers is a hybrid of spearmint and most likely Sharp-leaved mint (Mentha villosonervata) which has downy, furry leaves from combining itself with horse mint. These can be found in gardens, waysides and waste land.
Spearmint has a milder taste and scent to peppermint and produces generously sized leaves for salads, tea, cooked dishes and desserts.
Peppermint is actually another hybrid – arghhhhh!! Though the scent is quite distinctive and strong. The leaves are often purple-tinged and it too loves damp ground. I used to assume it was a water mint, which it is, sort of, just not as common.
Round-leaved mint and Apple mint
A beautiful apple-scented mint with furry haired round leaves with variations such as Round-leaved mint (Mentha suaveolens), Apple mint (Mentha villosa) or False Apple Mint (Mentha rotundifolia). I love using this to flavour subtle minty-apple sorbet.
Apple mint and mints in this round-leaved family arent very fussy where they grow. Ive found them in hedgerows, waste ground, in gardens and on the edge of gardens too.
The Miracle Of Mint An Ancient Edible & Medicinal Herb
FAQ
Is it safe to eat wild mint leaves?
Are mint leaves edible? Yes, mint leaves are edible, whether raw or cooked.
Which mint is not edible?
Is wild mint good to eat?
The leaves of wild mint are edible, raw or cooked. Having a quite strong minty flavor with a slight bitterness, they are used as a flavoring in salads or cooked foods. A herb tea can be made from the fresh or dried leaves.
Is it safe to eat raw mint leaves?