Welcome back to Plant to Plate! In this episode, Amber (your resident nutritionist) and Alyson (your go-to gardener) take on the notoriously enthusiastic mint.

What We’re Digging Into:

• Growing 101: How to grow mint without letting it take over your entire neighborhood.
• Meet the Relatives: Exploring mint’s massive family tree, including Lemon Balm, Anise Hyssop, and clearing up the "unrelated anise" confusion!
• Harvest to Table: Flavor profiles and creative ways to harvest, cook, and eat your mint.
• Save It & Share It: Tips for preserving, gifting, and making your own herbal creations.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• 🎥 Alyson’s Salve Making Reel: Find it Here
• 🍦 Mint Chip Ice Cream: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/mint-chip-ice-cream-recipe-chocolate/

Love the vibe?

If you enjoyed our chat, we’d love for you to stick around!

• 📌 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• 👯 Share this episode with a fellow plant lover or foodie.
• 💬 Connect with us online:
• Amber: WholeYouNutrition.com
• Alyson: SassyDaffodil.com | Instagram: @sassydaffodil

📚 Books to Reference:

• Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables by Crystal Schmidt
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Culinary Herbs – Grow. Preserve. Cook! by Yvonne Tremblay

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Welcome to

Plant to Plate, the podcast that shares

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a love of growing and eating food.

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This season, we're exploring herbs.

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I'm Amber, a licensed nutritionist

and founder of Whole You Nutrition

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and Meal Planning Collective

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: And I'm

Allison, the garden consultant, designer,

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and educator behind Sassy Daffodil.

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today's episode, we're getting

fresh with the mint family.

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We're gonna cover different

varieties, flavor profiles,

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and potential health benefits.

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Plus, things to consider when

growing mint and their related

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plants, and of course, how to

harvest and store and eat the herbs.

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We love kicking off each episode with

our interpretation of the personalities

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of our herb du jour, if I can say that.

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Or you can.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: can't really.

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So Amber, what comes to

mind when we're typecasting

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah.

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mint is definitely an extrovert.

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it's at the party, it wants

you to know it's at the party.

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If it were a dog, it would

be a golden retriever.

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So excited, so happy to see you, wants

to be in everyone's business, which

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I think we'll talk about both from,

a flavor and a growing perspective

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during the course of this episode.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: I

mean, I would rather have mint

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in my business than garlic, so

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Fair point.

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Fair point.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Oh,

this ring is very true for how

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it grows in the garden, for sure.

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If you don't confine mint to a

pot, you're gonna be finding its

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party favors all over your garden

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: So I'm that

person who had always heard, "Put mint in

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a pot before you put it in your garden."

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And I just, you know, didn't.

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I'm a rebel in that way.

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And I've actually had

really mixed results.

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I had a few years where the mint

really kept to kind of its own spot

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in the garden and grew really well,

but didn't do a lot of spreading.

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And then it kinda died out,

and I actually replaced it.

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And I noticed this year that new

plant that I put in is sending

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out a lot of runners and going

into different spots in my garden.

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So really shoulda put it in

a pot when I replanted it.

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But, uh, lesson learned.

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Why don't you tell us a few

more, like, do's and don'ts

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of, of growing mint, Allison?

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yeah.

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I mean, it is definitely known, it's

infamous for its aggressive behavior.

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it does like to spread and I d- but

the thing is, I don't want people

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to be scared to grow it, right?

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And so here's a couple tips.

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you can grow mint from seed.

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It grows fairly easily, but the

thing with growing from seed is it's

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actually more generic and less potent.

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So interestingly enough, and like, my

packet just says mint, and when it just

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says mint, that usually means spearmint.

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but you're better off going and

buying a plant, dividing a plant from

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somebody you know or propagating it, or

propagating a plant you already have.

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Those are your best options.

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so I would recommend buying a small

plant from a nursery or a farmers market,

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and it's gonna grow quickly, as you

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yes

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: I

definitely say put it in a pot to

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control its size and roots because

mint itself does like to spread, and

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it spreads and expands and regrows

through its root system underground.

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So just because it dies back on

the top does not mean it's not

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crawling around underneath the soil.

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: So sneaky.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: it is

sneaky and you're gonna be plucking

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it out like weeds for years to come.

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So I would get on top of that

this year if you haven't already.

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but here, here's the little,

like, fun switch up for us.

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Because we're doing the whole mint

family, let's talk about lemon balm

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and anise hyssop, which are both in

the mint family, and they only spread

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by flowering and going to seed.

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Now, they like to spread a lot of seed,

so as long as you cut the flowers after

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they're done, before they, start dropping

the seeds, then you will limit the amount

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of those that come up the following year

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Okay, that's super interesting.

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I, I'll talk about it a little bit

more later, but I do have some lemon

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balm in my garden, and it is not as

prolific as it used to, but I don't

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think I've let it flower recently.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Mm-hmm

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: the other

thing I wanted to talk about, though,

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you had mentioned anise hyssop.

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And in the last episode when we were

talking about basil, I had mentioned

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anise as a flavor, and that is that

sort of, like, black licorice flavor,

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which, to add to the confusion, is

not the same thing as actual licorice.

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But the anise seed, which is what I'm

most familiar with in terms of, a thing

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that's added to, like, Scandinavian

or Swedish baked goods, but that's

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different from anise hyssop, which

is different from just sort of, like,

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the overall flavor profile of anise.

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Like, I feel like anise

gets thrown around a lot.

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Can, can you help clarify, how this

fits into the greater plant world?

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yes,

I actually just learned this too.

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So, buckle your seat belts.

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True anise or anise, I don't actually

don't know if there is a true

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pronunciation difference between

the two, true anise, and here I, I,

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I'm not gonna say Latin names too

often on this podcast, but here true

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anise is Pimpinella anisum or anisum.

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But the fact that it's Pimpinella,

I might just call it Pimpinella

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for the rest of my life.

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so that is the Mediterranean

plant that we grow for its seeds.

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It's actually in the carrot family.

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So that is not the mint family one.

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Then we've got anise hyssop, foeniculum.

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Foeniculum, I don't

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Love some Latin.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Right.

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so it's a North American

native in the mint family.

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So anise hyssop is the one that's in the

mint family, and it has edible flowers and

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leaves, so you're not using the seeds the

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Okay, that's so interesting.

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So I didn't know that anise, the

Pimpinella form of anise, was in

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the carrot family, but I did know

that cumin was in the carrot family.

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So it's just so interesting to me how

plants are related, like the plant world

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and kind of the, I don't know, genealogy

is not the right word for plant lines.

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just the way that so many things

are connected and more related

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than you think they would be.

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Like, I don't think of like anise

and carrots being very similar.

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Although I guess they have … They're

such tiny seeds, and if carrot go

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to seed they are very tiny seeds.

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Or like if I've, when I've

planted carrots from seed.

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The seeds do look similar

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: And

the flowers, you get kind of that

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umbral, of the white flowers.

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And so there is some similarity

in the flowers, which sometimes

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we aren't as familiar with because

we don't let it go to flower or

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we're using it for something else.

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but here, I'm just … I'm gonna blow your

mind because there's another anise, anise.

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It's the star anise,

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Oh,

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: we're

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: yeah

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: know,

you see that at Christmas, right?

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When you put in, like a mulling

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah,

such a beautiful, cool shape

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Also

different, totally different family.

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It's actually the fruit of an evergreen

tree that is found in Southeast Asia.

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so in conclusion, is why you

hear professionals refer to

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the Latin names because they…

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Not just because they're smart, but

also because they want to ensure that

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the proper plant is being referenced.

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So we can all take a break

after that intense lesson.

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Maybe you can just start taking us

through the taste elements of these

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: sure.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: mints

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I must say I

love that in a Mint fl- Family episode

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we also, sidebar into the whole, Anise

and its, three different personalities.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: it

teaches a lesson that plants aren't

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related the way we think they are.

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There's not always the same thing.

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and that's also why, you know,

sometimes I thought people just

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used the Latin names to sound like

they were, were more intelligent

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than you, but turns out there's a

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: There is.

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Yeah.

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When I say anise, it might not be

the same one you're thinking of.

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I have a mint example that I'll talk

about later too that I thought was really

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interesting when I learned about that.

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okay, so there are so many different

kinds of mint and I- this stat kind of

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blew my mind, and I think speaks to the

complexity of just trying to identify

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and categorize plants in general.

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But depending on the source, there

are anywhere from 30 to 600 different

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varieties of mint in the world.

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So here we're starting with number

one and we're going through 600.

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Buckle up.

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No, we will not do that.

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But I will talk about what I think

are kind of the three, well, two most

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common mints that I think most people

are familiar with from, I don't know,

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chewing gum and then lemon balm.

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I also wanna talk about that too.

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So peppermint is one that I think

most people are familiar with.

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It's that like spicy, cooling flavor.

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It's the one I think of in terms

of Christmas mint flavor, I think

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of as peppermint that really

like spicy, bright, strong, the

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peppermint bark and all of that.

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So that makes me think of, holiday times.

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And then spearmint has a sweeter flavor

than peppermint, but it still has that

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same cooling sensation when you eat it.

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And like you had mentioned, Allison, if

something is just generically labeled

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mint, it tends to be spearmint, that

sweeter mint flavor versus the more

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peppery or spicy versions of mint.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: I mean,

that is a, a name that makes sense then.

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Not a lot of plant names make

sense, but peppermint is the

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Hey, we can

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: It's

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: that way.

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: peppery.

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Yes, and then the last one I wanna

mention, I feel like this is a, a dear,

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a dear friend of ours that we want

more people to know about: lemon balm.

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So lemon balm has more of a, as the name

might imply, a lemony flavor, but it does

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finish with kind of that minty coolness

that you would expect from a mint.

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But when you first bite into it,

I don't think it takes you to

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your, mint family immediately.

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It takes you more to, a citrus

place with that cooling finish.

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So it's kind of a cool one.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: we're

gonna talk more about lemon balm, and

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people didn't know that that's what

they were getting into here, I'm sure.

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But,

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Maybe we

should have called the episode Lemon Balm.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

We'll put that in the show notes.

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By the way.

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But I mean, lemon balm and the mints,

I think it's well known that at very

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least the mints have some different

health benefits, and if we're gonna

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use them for an herbal remedy, which

ones have which types of benefits?

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah, and as

I said in the previous episode, I am not

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an herbalist, but there are definitely

some herbal traditions that do spill

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over into nutrition, and I would say

peppermint for sure is one of them.

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peppermint is pretty well

known to help aid in digestion.

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I don't think it's a mistake

that a lot of gums are mint and

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peppermint flavored because people

tend to chew them after meals, and

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they can help with that digestion.

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they can ease nausea,

help with stomach cramps.

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It really helps just calm the

nervous system, But it's just a

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really nice, whether you're having

it in a tea form, there are some

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actually encapsulated versions of

peppermint that you can take as well.

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I don't recommend, necessarily, unless

it is clearly labeled as food grade,

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using something like a peppermint

essential oil in food, unless, like I

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said, specifically labeled for food.

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It's just a kind of nice

digestive tonic overall.

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So if you're having a, I don't know, if

you ate a heavy meal or your digestion

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is feeling just a little like sluggish

or off, having a cup of peppermint tea

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can be a really nice way to just sort

of gently soothe your digestive system.

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and then another mint that, again, I work

with mostly in a tea form is spearmint.

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And spearmint has been studied in

particular with helping with hormonal

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balance in places like PCOS, because it

has these anti-androgenic properties.

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So it can help with that balance

of like testosterone in the system.

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: it's so

interesting to hear because like I

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said, a lot of times our plants that

we buy are just labeled mint, and

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then we make tea thinking they're

going to, solve our stomach problems.

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But really if those are spearmint,

they're not having the same effect.

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So we do need to be cognizant

about if we're getting spearmint or

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peppermint or just the mint, which is

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah.

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And even spearmint will help a little

bit with digestion, but I don't…

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It hasn't been looked at, studied,

and I don't think it has as many

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of the same compounds that really

help with the digestive side.

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So it's not gonna hurt digestion, but

it's not, used in the same way, for sure.

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And then lemon balm in particular

is really about nervous system

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support and, helping to soothe

an anxious nervous system.

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A lot of times you see lemon balm,

mixed into, sleepy time teas.

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So even if you're just, at

the store looking at different

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tea blends, lemon balm…

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You may have had lemon balm and not

even known it because it's shown up

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in some sort of, like, sleepy time or

bedtime tea that you might have tried.

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So those are just a few things, digestion,

some hormone balance, and a little nervous

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system support, all from the mint family

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: I love

learning all these things about these

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herbs that we can grow ourselves.

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I've been growing lemon balm for quite

a while because I had somebody, you

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know, a little birdie told me that you

need to be friends with lemon balm.

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if you haven't got it already

hopefully this is your, your flag

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to go do that because it has even

been touted, specifically lemon

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balm, to help with heartache.

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And I know that that feels a little

bit, like, maybe fluffy, but it truly,

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that soothing peace is known to help

with depression and even seasonal

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affective disorder, which is great for

us in- Minnesotans in the wintertime.

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We know that SAD is a true thing here.

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So lemon balm is something to

have on hand, and you can dry

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it, which we'll talk about

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Yeah, that's awesome.

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In my herbalism class in grad school,

we had to pick an herb as kind of

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like the thing that we would study

individually as we were moving

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through, and I picked lemon balm.

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I believe its Latin name, since

we've mentioned some Latin names

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today, is Melissa officinalis.

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So I don't know who Melissa is, but

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: She's

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

she's, she is, she is great.

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You want Melissa to be your friend.

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and during that class, I took the

extra step of actually buying and

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adding some lemon balm to my garden,

and I planted that like a decade ago.

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I've moved it to a couple of different

locations within, within the garden,

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but it is still growing strong.

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And now that I know that it will spread

a little more if I let it flower and

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seed, I might let it, do a little

self-seeding this year and just let it

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get a little bit bigger than it has been.

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Mint really is that golden retriever.

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It is just so happy to be

there spreading around.

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I just love it.

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but I wanna know a little

bit more about growing mint.

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Does it have really specific

conditions that it likes?

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How does it thrive?

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

that's the thing.

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It, it really, it's like, you know,

I can kinda hang out anywhere, right?

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So even three-plus hours of sun.

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The more sun you get,

the better it will do.

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sometimes when we put things that need

at least some sun in a shadier spot

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than they like, they get what we call

leggy, meaning that they grow a longer

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stem each time before trying to reach

the sun before they put out leaves.

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So you could end up with some, it

kind of flopping or things like that.

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So that might be able to tell you,

"Hey, you could move this to a little

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bit sunnier spot," hopefully in

your pot or where you can move it.

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so in that sense, it's not too picky.

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It just can't be in full shade like most

plants, unless you look at some natives.

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But well, that's another

topic for another time.

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it is a perennial, so like I said,

it will, it could die back totally

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above the ground, and then it's

gonna come back from its roots the

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following year, even here in Minnesota.

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it's good with that.

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I know so many people ask

me, "What deters bunnies?

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What don't bunnies eat?"

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Well, bunnies will eat pretty

much anything, and especially baby

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bunnies that don't have taste buds,

they don't know what they're eating

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Wait,

do they really not have taste buds?

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Well,

they're still developing their, taste

309

buds and their idea of what they don't

like, so sometimes you could get nibbles

310

on things that you're like, "What?"

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But, generally bunnies don't

eat mint because of the scent.

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So if you have things that have those

different scents to them, like mint,

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they're great to put around something

else that you don't want them to eat.

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Nothing's a guarantee.

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but the other thing is the flowers,

even in catmint, which isn't really

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a culinary, plant, it's awesome.

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The pollinators absolutely

love the flowers on that.

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And the anise hyssop, to bring it

back to that, is an absolute bumblebee

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haven where I have my anise hyssop.

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And now I know that I need to say

anise hyssop and not just anise

321

all the time 'cause, of course,

I like to cut things short.

322

But yes,

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the bumblebees love it

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: That's awesome.

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I do have some catmint in my yard

that's planted purely as an ornamental.

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I do have cats, but I've never tried

to dry it and see if they'd be into

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the particular version in my yard.

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But I see tons of bumblebees around

it all the time, and I just love it

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

I have cats too.

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I, I've had two different cats that

I've tried to put it in front of, and

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maybe they bat it around a little bit.

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There is actual catnip that is

part of the mint family too,

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that sometimes they are drawn to.

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But sometimes cats, like their

personality, they either do or don't

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amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: okay,

so harvesting, what do we need

336

to know about harvesting mint?

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alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yeah,

I'm gonna pe- keep this really short

338

because harvesting is pretty much

like basil, like we talked last time.

339

It's recommended that you cut the

stems just above the lowest leaf

340

set so the plant keeps producing

leaves, it can get bushier.

341

really, as with plants, the more you cut,

the more they'll produce, because they're

342

trying to get to that flower stage.

343

They're trying to get to that

stage where they're growing seed.

344

yeah, so harvest re- frequently, enjoy it

in all the things, and encourage the bushy

345

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I love that.

346

I think I need to harvest some of

my mint today actually now that

347

we're having this conversation.

348

I don't think I've cut

any of it this year.

349

a lot of times mint is used fresh in

applications, and I feel like it's almost

350

a cliche at this point that you would see

a dessert that has, like, a few fresh mint

351

leaves, especially if it's in any sort of,

cookbook or, a recipe blog or something.

352

that is just the go-to little fresh

green sprig that gets added to desserts.

353

And I, I have dried it before.

354

I've mostly used it in tea.

355

But I do know that there's a tradition of

using dried mint in some savory dishes in

356

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

357

I know at one point I had made a…

358

I think it was a Lebanese salad

of cucumber and tomato, but it

359

specifically cr- called for dried

mint in the recipe, which was really

360

interesting, and there are several

other recipes from that area of the

361

world that use specifically dried mint.

362

even though we think of it as a

fresh herb or a tea in its dried

363

form, there are other parts of the

world that use it in different ways.

364

So if you were to dry it, whether it's for

tea or to use in one of these, regional

365

cuisines, you can do similar to what

we talked about with basil last week.

366

Take a bunch, hang it upside down.

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Once it's dry, strip the leaves

from the stem, and then crush

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it, and of course store it in an

air tight container and label it.

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Especially if you're drying and storing

several green herbs, you will likely be

370

able to identify them by smell, but do

you know what's more reliable than being

371

able to identify something by smell?

372

Writing a label and

putting it on the package.

373

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

If you learn nothing from us

374

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Table everything.

375

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: you talked

about drying it and using it in the,

376

the food, but I have frozen leaves

in ice cubes with strawberries or

377

blueberries, and then it's really

fun to throw in your summer beverage.

378

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yum

379

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: it

looks pretty, and it adds a little

380

bit of flavor, just to spice

up things at, in your picnic or

381

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah,

I feel like that'd be great in

382

a number of cocktails, and also

just like a lemonade, a way to add

383

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yeah

384

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: a

minty berry flavor to a lemonade.

385

That sounds great.

386

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yeah

387

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

in terms of cooking, I…

388

Okay, so here's the thing with mint.

389

I adore it, but I also recognize

it can be a controversial flavor.

390

I think there are a number of people

who are horrified when mint shows

391

up in their chocolate, for example.

392

Like, they're just not into the flavor.

393

so I think it is one of those flavors

that can be a little bit polarizing,

394

but I think it's delightful, and here

are some of the ways that I like to

395

use fresh mint, especially if you have

a very overzealous plant one summer.

396

one thing that I've done in the past is

make fresh mint ice cream, and in order

397

to do that, essentially you harvest all

the mint leaves and you steep it in the

398

cream that you're going to use to make

the ice cream, so it infuses all of its

399

great minty flavor, and then you pull

out the, the leaves and move forward

400

with whatever your ice cream recipe is.

401

And I particularly like that if I add

a little bit of chocolate towards the

402

end of the churning process to make

your own homemade mint chip ice cream.

403

another way that I love to use

mint in-- that uses a pretty good

404

quantity is making a mint syrup.

405

surprising- When I first heard this, I

was like, "I don't know about this flavor

406

combo," but mint syrup in iced coffee

without chocolate, this is not like a

407

mint mocha situation, just the mint simple

syrup in an iced coffee is so delightfully

408

refreshing on like a hot summer day.

409

So similar to the ice cream, you take all

of your mint leaves and you steep them in

410

a water and sugar solution, essentially

one part water, one part sugar, and just

411

let them hang out in there for a while,

and then pull them out, strain it, and

412

you've got this deliciously flavored syrup

that you can use in coffee or desserts

413

or cakes, like wherever you want a little

sweetness and a little mint flavor.

414

So those are a few of my favorites.

415

Another one would be, like, a mint

cilantro chutney, something you

416

would see with Indian cuisine.

417

Has a great fresh green flavor, adds a

lot of brightness, and they usually tend

418

to be a little bit spicy too, so it can

be a good way if you're also growing

419

a lot of chilies in your garden to use

up, chilies along with all of that mint.

420

Of course, we talked

about a dessert garnish.

421

if we think of England, mint and

lamb is a classic combination.

422

Mint jelly is something that

shows up a lot when you're

423

looking at, British cuisine.

424

And I personally love mint mixed with

cucumber and melon, and that includes,

425

honeydew, cantaloupe, or watermelon.

426

And lemon balm is also particularly

delicious with cucumber and melon.

427

So again, let's dry it for tea,

but while it's fresh and in the

428

summer, let's toss it in with a

little bit of watermelon in a salad.

429

So I'm guessing based on our conversation

about basil, that if we are not able

430

to finish all of the mint that we

have taking over our garden, 'cause

431

we didn't put it in a pot, that you

might have a few gifting ideas for us

432

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yeah.

433

I, of course, I love finding ways

that we can use what we grow and,

434

don't have to buy it at the store.

435

At the very least, support some

of our smaller local businesses.

436

And I think a easy, fun option is

to do, a mint sampler of different

437

mint varieties that we've talked

about for the tea lover in your life.

438

and then as I was thinking, I'm

like, "That's a fun gift, but what

439

if you hosted a tea tasting party

with the different types of mint?"

440

I think that would be

441

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

It would be really fun.

442

Talk about a great way to, experience

a few of the up to 600 different

443

kinds of mint in the world too,

and be able to talk about them

444

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: yeah.

445

like your guests, maybe everybody grows

their own mint and they all bring, a

446

piece or bring some of it to the tea

tasting sampler or, you grew them all, you

447

can give everybody a sprig of your mint

because you can propagate it that way.

448

And so people can take it home and

449

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yes, that's

immediately where my head went when

450

you were talking about like, "Oh,

if we all had a different mint."

451

then we can share sprigs and

propagate the ones we loved.

452

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yes.

453

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

Take them home for ourselves."

454

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: on a totally

different side, if you're feeling a

455

little bit ambitious, lemon balm, we

talked about its benefits before, but

456

infusing it in a topical oil, I like to

use apricot kernel oil, then you can use

457

it to, when you make homemade salves.

458

You'll get the, the

benefits of the lemon balm.

459

I actually also use calendula,

and I fuse both those.

460

I dry them, infuse them in oil

for about three weeks, and then

461

I will make a salve with beeswax.

462

people always talk about it, and

I still I have one in every single

463

bag I carry around 'cause I always

want to use it for something.

464

I do have a reel for how I make these

on my Instagram page, so we'll make

465

sure to link that in our, the captions

466

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I love that.

467

I've made maybe one time in that

herbalism class I had to make a salve,

468

and I believe it was a calendula one.

469

but what are the ways that you

like to use the lemon balm one?

470

Are you using it mostly for, a

moisturizing or, like, cuticles?

471

Are you just doing it for the aroma and

kind of that nervous system relaxation

472

thing that we had talked about earlier?

473

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Generally,

the, the calendula and lemon balm do

474

not give off too much aroma in it.

475

at that point, it- I'm more adding

essential oils for an aroma to it,

476

an orange or a lavender or something

like that, eucalyptus or whatever.

477

but the, the combination of calendula

and lemon balm has a very healing effect.

478

So it, I tell people any kind of skin

ailment, there's only four ingredients

479

in the salves that I make, I will put

it on insect bites, I'll put it on

480

scratches, I'll put it on anything that,

that I want to heal a little bit more.

481

it's not, 100% guaranteed, but I have

found, at least for myself, that I, I

482

want it, I want to put it on things,

and it helps them heal faster, and

483

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I love that.

484

So now we know when you first get a

mosquito bite and it itches, you put

485

on a basil poultice, and then when you

are ready for it to start healing and

486

the itching has subsided, you switch

over to the lemon balm and calendula

487

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Mm-hmm.

488

Yeah.

489

am mean really to, I, I

don't know if we got…

490

To take it full circle, I

actually do have a lip balm that

491

I make, and I add mint to it.

492

So of

493

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Love it.

494

Yeah

495

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: balm,

you know, you like the fresh

496

stuff around, you know, for the,

497

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Absolutely.

498

my default lip balm is Burt's

Bees peppermint lip balm.

499

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: I added this.

500

I know you talked about the syrup, but

I did do a try this when you're baking.

501

if you want to make an herb sugar,

you can massage the leaves into

502

the sugar, and that helps release

the oils from the leaves, and that

503

creates a more intense flavor.

504

we talked about how many oodles of

mint varieties that we have, and we

505

didn't even get into all of them.

506

Is there a unique flavor that you've

seen that you would like to try?

507

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: when we were

talking about varieties, one thing that

508

came to mind, walking down the nursery

aisles this year when I was buying my

509

plants, the mint section was huge, and

it was a little bit like the whole,

510

Bubba Gump shrimp thing where it was like

apple mint, chocolate mint, lemon mint.

511

Like, there was just so many

different kinds of mint.

512

a few years ago we were gifted a chocolate

mint plant from my partner's mom, and

513

we popped it in the garden, and that

has been a really great one to use for

514

things like the mint ice cream and the

mint syrups because it's not, like,

515

super chocolatey, but it does have a

little bit more of that, deeper depth

516

of flavor that you get from chocolate.

517

so that has been really fun, and

I would recommend people try that.

518

And then I also remember encountering

what was called fish mint when

519

I was traveling in Vietnam.

520

And what I learned later is that

it's not actually related to mint.

521

So it is fish mint.

522

Despite being called fish mint, it is

not one of the 600 mints in the world,

523

which maybe that's why there's such a

range, the 30 to 600, because a bunch of

524

things are called mint that aren't mint

and, things that aren't, have, don't

525

have mint in the name are actually mint.

526

Like, who knows?

527

even though it's not called mint, I…

528

Or it is called mint, but it's

not related to the mint family.

529

It's called that because it

spreads in a similar way to mint.

530

it's very aggressive and very

hardy, so if one is to plant it

531

somewhere and not put it in a pot,

it sounds like it might take over.

532

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

Does it smell like fish?

533

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I don't

remember it being all that offensive

534

in any way, but I, I'm wondering

if it's more similar to cilantro in

535

which some people have a stronger

taste aversion to it than others.

536

I did notice it was always served

fresh, so I'm wondering if some

537

of those more unpleasant flavors

come out in a cooked version.

538

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: that

one's a really interesting one

539

because what essentially classifies

things to be in a mint family

540

is that they have a square stem.

541

And so

542

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Huh?

543

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: It's not

just because, Alfred over here thinks

544

it should be in the mint family, that's,

it's, that's what it's supposed to be.

545

So lemon balm and anise

hyssop do have square stems

546

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I

don't think I've ever considered

547

the shape of a stem on a plant.

548

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: You will

549

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: I sure will.

550

how about you?

551

Is there one of the v- many, many versions

of mint that you are either most excited

552

to try because you haven't, or holds a

special place in your heart, besides lemon

553

balm, which we've already talked about?

554

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yes.

555

I really love the smell of orange mint.

556

I think that's just a lovely…

557

I mean, both of those things are very

refreshing and energizing, and I don't

558

actually have it right now, and I'm

realizing with all this talk and all

559

of those options, I want to make a mint

passport and see how many I can try.

560

Like, get all the stamps, you know?

561

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644:

That sounds so fun.

562

I'm also- like, I get so excited when

we talk about these things, which is

563

one of the reasons that I just love the

conversations that we have, because now

564

I'm like, is there a little section in

my yard where I could literally have,

565

like, so many different kinds of mint?

566

just my little, mint garden off

to the side, and I don't know.

567

They can fight it out between who takes

over the most space, which varietal wins.

568

But yeah, that's- it just sounds so fun

to be able to taste all of them, and I

569

think when you taste things back to back,

you notice those subtle differences.

570

So if somebody put orange mint in

something and didn't tell you it

571

was orange mint, you're probably

just like, "Oh, this tastes minty."

572

But if you're thinking about it, you pick

up on some of those more subtle flavor

573

profiles, and then you think of ways to

use it that really highlight them as well.

574

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: Yes.

575

And I think it's, for me, it's more

just, like, when I walk by the plant,

576

then I rub it a little bit and I get

this, it just invigorates me, right?

577

It's aromatherapy, right?

578

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Yeah.

579

I love that

580

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: mint really

can't help being the life of the party.

581

We could just talk about it forever,

But this party has gotta end, right?

582

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: Sure does.

583

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641: If we overstay

our welcome, people aren't gonna listen

584

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: The

golden retriever, she needs a nap

585

alyson_1_07-01-2026_130641:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

586

We've covered as much as we can for today.

587

but if you like today's episode, tell

a friend, if you have any questions

588

about the show, please reach out.

589

You can find me on

Instagram @sassydaffodil.

590

amber_1_07-01-2026_130644: you can

find me at wholeyounutrition.com.

591

All right, until the next time, bye