Apple mint is also known as wooly mint or white mint. This plant is found in the wild in South and West Europe and also in our country. But this rare plant is protected and it can't be picked or taken out of nature. This mint variety has a strong, fruity flavour which remindes us of apples. The leaves are very coarse and hairy. Cooke the leaves short before using them raw, because the hairs are not very nice in the mouth and on the tongue.
Use apple mint in sweet dishes because of it's scent and flavour. Use in pancakes, soups, sauces and herbal teas. Use the leaves of apple mint in the summer to make a very cooling and refreshing tea or ice tea. You can also make a medicinal tea against inflamed gums from the leaves of Apple Mint. Apple mint flowers with little, light pink flowers from july till october. This variety is like all mint varieties an overgrowing and overpowering herb. Keep the roots restricted to prevent this from happening. Non decidious hardy perennial. Height: 40 - 80 cm.
Indoor sowing: April - May
Outdoor sowing: May - July
Germination: 12 - 21 days
Germination temp.: 18 - 22 °C
Sowing depth: ½ - 1 cm
Plant distance: 30 - 45 cm
Plant position: sunny
Harvesting period: June - September
Sow indoors from the beginning of April. Sow in seperate pots of about 8 cm Ø filled with moist potting soil. Sow a maximum of about 10 - 15 seeds per pot. Cover the seeds with a thiny layer of soil. Do this by sieving the soil through a sieve. Keep the germination temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Keep the seeds moist by using a spray bottle to carefully moisten the seeds. This prevents the dissturbing of the fine seeds. When the seedlings emerge, you can put the pots away much cooler (15 - 18 °C). Put the pots outdoors during the day in the sun for about 10 - 14 days from the beginning of May. To harden them of and to let them get used to outdoor temperatures. Put the plants after this period outdoors on a sunny plot with good drainage.
Sow outdoors from the beginning of May till July. Sow sparingly and cover the seeds with a tiny amount of soil. Give the plants a sunny plot with free draining soil. This very invasive and spreading plant has to be sown in pots or in contained containers to prevent the roots from overgrowing anything else. Apple mint can be sown and grown in any types of soil. It likes a very sunny spot with some shelter. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, because this mint variety hates wet feet. It needs a very good drainage. This mint variety can also be sown and grown indoors in large pots in a window-sill to keep handy while cooking.
