mint used in korean dishes

I went to a Korean restaurant and one dish was served with fresh mint leaves as a garnish. I loved them, and have since been buying "mint leaves" at the grocery occasionally. Usually they are just a few stems on a Styrofoam tray for several dollars, more than I care to spend regularly. Sometimes they have bunches (like parsley) for $1.50 IIRC at Jerry's, and I buy several and add them to salads as well as as in cooking.

So, I want to grow my own to lower the price point. But there are countless varieties of mint, and I am sure fresh may be hard to cross correlate to chewing gun flavor names for a novice amateur cook like myself.

A quick search for mint seeds on ebay gives mostly spearmint. Some web sources talk about lemon mint, which certainly sounds good as I like lemon/lime flavors. Searching on "Korean mint" gives mostly Purple Hyssop, possibly aka Blu licorice Korean mint, possibly aka Agastache Rugosa.

Any other suggestions, or definitive answers?

Not a definitive answer, but I've noticed that ethnic grocery stores frequently stock specific varieties of herbs/vegetables in the spring that will gratify their ethnic customers.

Shorter answer: Go to Jong Boo, Assi or HMart next month.

Giovanna

If you can find the mint in an Asian market, and it is a real mint and fresh, it should root very easily in water. It is hardy to zone 5 and some varieties are hardy to zone 3. Just keep it contained, if you don't want it spreading everywhere. A good way to contain it is to cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket, sink it into the ground and plant your mint in the bucket.

Xexo wrote:If you can find the mint in an Asian market, and it is a real mint and fresh, it should root very easily in water. It is hardy to zone 5 and some varieties are hardy to zone 3. Just keep it contained, if you don't want it spreading everywhere. A good way to contain it is to cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket, sink it into the ground and plant your mint in the bucket.

This.
Do not let it grow outside of containers.

Xexo wrote:If you can find the mint in an Asian market, and it is a real mint and fresh, it should root very easily in water. It is hardy to zone 5 and some varieties are hardy to zone 3. Just keep it contained, if you don't want it spreading everywhere. A good way to contain it is to cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket, sink it into the ground and plant your mint in the bucket.

Thank you for that excellent idea.

As I mentioned, I have found the same (to my taste) mint in general groceries that stock a variety of ethnic foods, but it is just called "mint", so that does not help find the correct seeds. Ditto the dried mint i have purchased and used to alter/enhance some of my traditional recipes (like hummus).

I hadn't thought of trying to root the stems from the store though. I can try both water and rooting compound directly into soil....

I'd like to do seeds also.

I understand the risks of planting outside, having grown catnip (a kind of mint), which spreads on its own. I suspect it would escape pots too, as shiso and another mint (penny-something?) have done from a 3 foot high stone planter box . I guess cutting off flowers would help, but some will inevitably be missed.

In a small confined area (between house and driveway) some mint was planted along with a large sage. When the mint ran out of space, it squeezed the sage out.

Mint is invasive. Unknowingly someone gave me some Greek oregano, which also ran rampant. Chinese Chives is the gift that keeps on giving, too, by reseeding itself generously.

Something I learned at a Master Gardner conference in Orlando, Florida: You do not need to fill planters top to bottom with soil. You need the top six inches for soil, then some gardening cloth and underneath are packing peanuts. Far lighter and easier to move around as needed.

Regards,
Cathy2

diversedancer wrote: I'd like to do seeds also.

With seeds, you may find the results quite variable from the taste you like/want. Most mints are propagated by cuttings, not seeds, so they have not been selected for consistency between generations.

Xexo wrote:If you can find the mint in an Asian market, and it is a real mint and fresh, it should root very easily in water. It is hardy to zone 5 and some varieties are hardy to zone 3. Just keep it contained, if you don't want it spreading everywhere. A good way to contain it is to cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket, sink it into the ground and plant your mint in the bucket.

Do you cut the bottom out for drainage purposes? I would think you don’t want the roots to escape, so maybe a bunch of small holes would be fine?

Darren72 wrote:Do you cut the bottom out for drainage purposes? I would think you don’t want the roots to escape, so maybe a bunch of small holes would be fine?

Holes should be fine. The runners usually don't grow down as far as the bottom of the bucket, which is what stops it from spreading. Same idea is suppose to work for horseradish plants. Also, by sinking the whole thing in the ground, it is protected from your harsh winters. Not something I worry too much about here in Western Oregon. If it is in the 20s here, I'm freezing. Lets not talk about the times it gets into the teens (rarely, thank Zeus!)

Sometimes even a 5-gal bucket isn't deep enough. I found some hardy bamboo growing around an abandoned farmhouse in central Kansas, brought it back to KC, and planted it in a buried bucket. It escaped. 20 yrs later my neighbors still curse me. : (

So be careful, be very careful.

Geo