How do I use mint leaves?

Table of Contents:

1. How do I use mint leaves?
2. What can I plant next to mint?
3. What is Dill a good companion plant for?
4. Why is fennel a bad companion plant?
5. What can you not plant next to fennel?
6. Does fennel like sun or shade?
7. Do I cut back fennel?
8. Does fennel grow back every year?
9. Why does my fennel not have a bulb?
10. How do I know when fennel is ready to harvest?
11. Are there two types of fennel?
12. How do you eat fresh fennel?
13. Is fennel a vegetable or fruit?
14. Why is fennel so expensive?

How do I use mint leaves?

We like to add a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped mint to peas, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, or zucchini to create a minted vegetables! Drinks: Freeze a few trays of strong mint tea, then use the ice cubes for cooling summer drinks! Add mint leaves or cubes to mojitos, iced tea, or fresh lemonade.

What can I plant next to mint?

Companion Plants to Grow With Mint

1. Oregano and marigolds. In combination with mint, pungent, spicy oregano and marigold spread an aromatic forcefield across any vegetable garden, attracting pollinators and deterring pests.
2. Carrots. ...
3. Cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. ...
4. Tomatoes and eggplants. ...
5. Peas and beans.

What is Dill a good companion plant for?

Companion planting dill will help help asparagus, the Brassicas (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi), chervil, corn, cucumber, lettuce and onion. Conversely, planting beans near dill will be beneficial to the growth of your dill plants.

Why is fennel a bad companion plant?

Fennel makes a poor companion plant for just about every crop, secreting a substance from its roots that inhibits the growth of its neighbors. ... If planted near dill (Anethum graveolens), the two plants may cross-pollinate and hybridize, creating strange-tasting offspring.

What can you not plant next to fennel?

Fennel – Not a companion for any garden food plant, fennel will actually inhibit growth in bush beans, kohlrabi, tomatoes, and others. Plant it, but keep it out of the veggie garden. Fennel attracts hoverflies, ladybird beetles, parasitic wasps, and tachinid flies, so it's a kind of beneficial insect magnet.

Does fennel like sun or shade?

Fennel is a sun-loving plant, so plant it where it will receive at least 6 hours of direct sun. Plant fennel after the last spring frost. This plant can tolerate light frosts, but needs protection when young.

Do I cut back fennel?

Prune back fennel plants in mid autumn, before cold weather turns the plants to mush.

Does fennel grow back every year?

Feed with a general granular plant food each spring. Removing developing flower heads will prolong the supply of leaves, but the seeds themselves are also useful and can be used in cooking. Fennel is a hardy perennial herb, which will die back to ground level in winter.

Why does my fennel not have a bulb?

So, the most likely reason for no bulb on fennel is that you have planted the wrong type. You can still use the lower stalks, the leaves and seeds, which will have a somewhat mellower but still delightful flavor than the bulb. Another reason for fennel with no bulb is planting too late.

How do I know when fennel is ready to harvest?

Fennel is ready to harvest after approximately 90 days. Fennel leaves can be harvested as soon as the plant is well established. Only take a few leaves at a time to not cause harm to the plant. The bulb is ready for harvest once it reaches the size of a tennis ball.

Are there two types of fennel?

There are two types of fennel. One is treated as an herb (herb fennel – Foeniculum vulgare) and one that is treated like a bulb type vegetable (Florence fennel or Finocchio – Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce). The herb type grows 3-5 feet tall with fine textured foliage resembling dill.

How do you eat fresh fennel?

Thinly sliced raw fennel bulb adds a sweet licorice flavor and crunchy texture to salads. To slice the bulb, stand it on the root end and cut vertically with a sharp knife of mandolin. To soften the flavor of the bulb, try braising, sautéing, roasting, or grilling it.

Is fennel a vegetable or fruit?

The most common cultivated fennel plant is called Florence fennel, and most parts of the plant are edible: while the hollow fennel stalks can be a bit tough, its edible white bulb is treated as a vegetable and its leaves (which are similar in consistency to dill), fruits (colloquially called seeds), pollen, and ...

Why is fennel so expensive?

Fennel Pollen comes from the flowers of the fennel plant. ... It comes from the very middle of the fennel flower, and you can gather about a gram at a time. This low yield is the reason why Fennel powder is quite pricey.