PEPPERMINTY

I made my first batch of sun tea.  That is where you fill a clear container (in my case a mason jar) with water, add your favorite tea bags, cap the jar, and put it out in the sunshine to brew.  My first batch of the season was … peppermint tea.  Peppermint is pretty amazing.  Clearly, it makes a lovely tea (hot or cold) but there are a tremendous number of other uses including:

Edibles – add peppermint leaves to your salad or to your chocolate chip cookies

Minty fresh breath – nibble a few leaves before a smooch

Ease your tummy ache – peppermint eases nausea, indigestion, and gas (or maybe it makes it minty fresh?)

Clean up your act – use a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your favorite unscented cleaning solution.

Headache help – apply a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your temples to ease headaches

Cool it – feel cooler by applying peppermint essential oil to your inner wrists.  You can also ease a sunburn by applying a cold, strong, peppermint tea to the sunburn.

Breath clearer – since you and all of your loved ones now have minty breath, you might want to be able to smell/reduce congestion.  Mix peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil with coconut oil as a homemade vapor rub.

Push harder – peppermint oil (ingested) can increase exercise performance.

And lastly… it is hard to kill peppermint!  Even black thumbs like me can successfully grow peppermint.  Caution though.  Peppermint will take over a garden.  I keep mine in a large terra cotta pot.