Mint Is A Sprawling Tenant

This post can also be read on bonappetit.com

One year I made the mistake of planting mint in the garden. It took over; the lettuce didn't stand a chance. The mint grew so fast it towered over the rest of the herbs, blocking out the sun. The more I cut it back, the faster it spread, sending its roots out in all directions. I ripped it out and tilled it under and cursed a lot. Still, some came back the next summer, so I ripped it up again and transplanted it in the field, near a slow-running stream. Not surprisingly, it took well to its new home.

This year the mint came back with a vengeance. It would be a big problem if it were still in the garden, but in the field it can run amok without choking out other herbs and veggies. Still, it's a sprawling tenant and needs to be kept in check, if for no other reason than because I'm still a little mad at it. So I harvest armfuls and make fresh mint tea. I shovel it into tabbouleh salads. Of course, Mint Juleps are on constant rotation this summer, too.

Last weekend, during one of our recent heat waves, my friend Erin was inspired to make ice cream. Everyone agreed that it was a fine idea, save for the fact that there is no ice cream maker at the farm. Erin was undeterred. She mixed an ice cream base, placed it into a Ziploc bag, placed that bag inside another Ziploc filled with ice and salt, and walked around in the stifling humidity shaking it for half an hour. Occasionally someone else would offer to stand in, but Erin did the bulk of the labor. And it worked.



Her ice cream was smooth and creamy. We ate it with strawberries and pound cake for dessert.

This morning I walked down to the mint patch with a machete and hacked away once again. I spent half an hour shaking the minty custard into soft-serve, then placed it in the freezer. Fresh mint ice cream is by far the best way to go through a ton of mint.

If you've got an unruly mint plant, this is a delicious way to keep it in check.




Fresh Mint Ice Cream
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2/3 cup sugar
a pinch plus 1/4 cup salt, divided
4 egg yolks

Combine cream, milk, mint, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium skillet and whisk in egg yolks. Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and an instant-read thermometer registers 175 degrees. (If you don't have a thermometer, dip a spoon into the mixture; the custard is ready when it will coat the back of the spoon.) Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Strain custard through sieve, pressing on solids with a wooden spoon to extract all custard; discard solids in strainer. Transfer custard to a Ziploc bag and seal, pressing out all the air. Chill custard until it is cold.

Fill another Ziploc bag halfway with ice; add 1/4 cup salt. Seal the custard-filled Ziploc inside the ice-filled Ziploc. Wearing oven mitts (so the warmth of your hands won't melt the ice--another of Erin's tricks), gently shake and turn the bag until the custard resembles soft-serve ice cream, about 30 minutes. Remove the ice cream-filled Ziploc and place it in the freezer, turning and shaking it every 10 minutes until ice cream is frozen solid