Harvesting mint

When you cut Mint, cut all the way back to the ground. If you want to enjoy the many different colors of flowers, cut them off before the seed is ripe. Remember that when an herb is flowering it is not making lots of nice leaves to cook with. Shear your mint to the ground in the fall and it will emerge shining and ready for gourmand use in the spring.When harvesting mint leaves, cut back alternate plants so you always have small tender leaves available. The peppermints or red mints are very strong flavored and should be dried before using or used sparingly if fresh.