Gardening
Harvest and Enjoy Mint from the Garden
Fresh-from-the-garden mint is easy to grow and adds a cool, fresh flavor to meals, beverages and desserts.
Photo credit: photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Add a bit of cool flavor to your beverages, meals and desserts this summer with homegrown mint. Try using peppermint leaves in fruit cocktails and ice cream. Add spearmint to your tea or use the leaves to season lamb and jelly. Or try chocolate mint for a unique, sweet and refreshing flavor in desserts and drinks.
Mint is easy to grow and suited to container gardens. In fact, growing it in a pot will help keep this vigorous herb contained. Or sink a container of mint in the garden or plant where surrounding walks and walls will keep it in check. Keep a watchful eye and remove any unwanted plants as they appear.
Grow mint in a full sun to partial shade location with moist, well-drained soil. Mulch the soil to conserve moisture. Though hardy in zones 3 to 11, you will need to provide a bit of winter protection when growing mint in containers in colder regions. Either sink the container in a vacant spot in the garden or move the planter into an unheated garage. Water thoroughly whenever the soil is thawed and dry.
Gardeners lacking outdoor growing space or in areas with cold winters can also grow this herb indoors. Grow mint in a quality well-drained potting mix. Place in a sunny window or under artificial lights and keep the soil evenly moist.
Harvest the mint leaves as needed. Cut leafy stems off the plant just above a healthy leaf or bud so the wound closes faster and the remaining plant will look better. Rinse off the clippings and remove tough stems and bad leaves before adding mint to your favorite beverage or dish.
You'll enjoy the most intense flavor when harvesting mint just before the plants begin to flower. This is the best time to make larger harvests for drying and freezing. Fortunately, you can remove up to 75% of foliage from an established plant. Watch for fresh, new growth and continue to harvest as needed.
Store any extra mint cuttings in a vase of water, loosely cover with a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator.
Consider including mint in your patio, balcony or deck plantings. Keeping it close to the kitchen and outdoor living space will make it easy for you to harvest and use. Plus, your guests will enjoy plucking a few fresh mint leaves to add to their iced tea, mojito, other favorite summer beverage or salad.
Not only does this easy-to-grow herb add flavor, but it also aids digestion. Add a garnish of mint to dress up the dessert plate and calm a queasy stomach. And use it to increase the manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A levels in your diet.
Make this the year you plant, harvest and enjoy some minty fresh flavor straight from the garden.
Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Antique, Collectibles and Auction News
There's been plenty of noteworthy antiques, collectibles, and auction news since I last covered the latest news well over a month ago.
Last month, I discussed how prices for some collectibles have exploded recently. The recent sale of a 1996 Super Mario 64 game further highlights this trend. Smithsonian Magazine reports that "Nintendo released 'Super Mario 64' as one of the first games for its Nintendo 64 console in 1996." The games originally sold for about $60 and Nintendo sold around 12 million copies. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the "'Super Mario 64' was the first Mario game to feature three-dimensional environments." The recently sold unopened game graded a near perfect 9.8 out of 10. It set a video game auction record of $1.56 million, surpassing the previous record for a "Legend of Zelda" cartridge that sold for $870,000 two days prior.
The most prized card in sports collectibles is being auctioned again. T206 Honus Wagner cards were produced between 1909 and 1911 by American Tobacco Company. Forbes reports that the card "is in extremely limited supply and has been setting price records for more than 80 years, most recently in 2016 at $3.12 million." Only 60 copies of the Honus Wagner card are known to exist. Some believe Wagner didn't want his name associated with tobacco out of concern that children would start smoking cigarettes. Others say he simply couldn't agree on his compensation with the American Tobacco Company. The previous auction record was for a 1952 Mickey Mantle card which sold for $5.2 million this past January. The bidding for the Wagner card had reached $4.8 million as of Sunday, August 8th. When the bidding ends on August 15th, there could very well be a new sports card auction record.
Closer to home, a 1919 Picasso, Le Tricorne, painting that was recently discovered in a New England closet just sold at auction in Massachusetts. According to MassLive, "Le Tricorne is a framed mixed media work of art on paper that measures 16 by 16 inches." Picasso designed the maquette (preliminary sketch) while working on his larger work of the same name at the New York Historical Society. The unidentified painting owner said the painting belonged to their great aunt. They said that their great aunt studied in England and their grandmother studied in France in the 1920s. Their uncle owned mills in Maine. The owner said, "they were some of the first women to fly to Asia on a trip to buy silk with their uncle," according to MassLive. The Picasso and several other paintings had been stored in a closet for over 50 years. The painting sold for $150,000. Be sure not to brush things over when cleaning out your closets.
Bidding is underway for our online sports memorabilia auction featuring a Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig signed baseball, Mickey Mantle rookie card, and Tom Brady autographed rookie card. We are currently cataloging a Webster, MA estate auction with Corvettes, vintage boat motors, boats and many other items. We will also soon be finishing the cataloging of another online model railroad and die-cast car auction. Our virtual appraisal day for the Townsend Historical Society will be on November 13th. Registration is underway for my November 10th "Evaluating your Antiques" class at Bay Path Evening School in Charlton. Please visit our website for more details on upcoming events: www.centralmassauctions.com.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique Auctions, Estate Sales and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com