Melissa and mint - known and loved by many plants. They are used as additives to tea, they flavor desserts, decorate various dishes.
Due to its composition, which includes essential oils, acids, minerals, these two herbs are therapeutic agents that are widely used in both traditional and official medicine.
In our article we will explain why melissa and mint go together with each other when to collect these plants for drying and freezing, as well as other useful nuances.
Compatibility features of these plants
Often mint and lemon balm are dried together. This is due to the fact that both plants are perfectly combined with each other and have approximately the same properties. Both herbs contain a huge amount of nutrients and minerals, essential oils and vitamins.
Mint has a specific pronounced menthol aroma and taste.. The smell of lemon balm is much weaker and has a lemon note. Drinking tea from these herbs in combination with each other will not only allow you to enjoy the wonderful lemon-mint flavor, but also help:
- refresh in the summer heat;
- calm and relax the nerves;
- reduce blood pressure;
- normalize metabolism;
- improve immunity;
- cheer up
What varieties are best suited for joint harvesting for the winter?
Despite the fact that there are about 25 varieties of mint, including Chocolate, Field, Menthol Feline, Scented, Water, Curly, Wild and others, and more than 10 varieties of lemon balm (Pearl, Isidora, Quadrille Lemon, Golden, etc.), the most Peppermint and lemon balm remain popular. It is these plants that are mainly dried together.
Also good in union with melissa mint Field and Forest, Apple and Longleaf. These combinations are mainly used in cooking.
When to collect?
Harvesting plants are from May to August, throughout the summer. The exact time of collection depends on the region. It is best to harvest plants before flowering during the formation of buds.
For tea use delicate leaves, the collection is on a sunny day in the morning. To prepare the infusions, the leaves are collected with stems, which are cut with a sharp knife or sickle. It is believed that the harvesting should be done with the growing moon, because at this time all the medicinal plants contain a maximum of useful substances.
Is it necessary to wash?
Before you start drying mint and lemon balm, you must perform some actions.:
- Rinse the branches with running water.
- Spread out on a towel to glass the water.
- Place on the cloth until the leaves and stems are completely dry.
- Separate and remove damaged parts of the plant.
How to prepare and dry?
Naturally
Bouquets of plants are hung down with their heads or laid out on pallets. For proper drying, the following conditions must be met:
- the room must be well ventilated;
- direct sunlight should not fall on the grass;
- air temperature is maintained not lower than 20 and not higher than 35 degrees.
If the weather is dry and sunny, in a week the leaves will easily start breaking off the stems, and the harvesting can be sent to storage.
Stored grass in glass jars or cloth bags until next season in a dry, dark and cool place. Under such conditions, the mixture will retain all its medicinal and beneficial properties.
We offer you to watch a video on how to prepare melissa for the winter in a natural way:
With the help of a stove or a special apparatus
Greens are laid out in a thin layer on a tray of special equipment, a baking tray in the oven or on a plate in the microwave. Choose the desired temperature, as a rule, this is the minimum, because the grass does not need a lot of heat for drying.
Properly dried leaves:
- have a natural green color;
- they are dry and break when lightly pressed;
- have a specific flavor;
- retain a burning, spicy taste.
Frost
You can freeze any varieties of lemon balm and mint. For this you need:
- bundles of grass in any quantity;
- plastic bags;
- ice forms;
- boiled water.
As with drying, the plants are washed, dried and sorted, laid out in containers or bags and put in the freezer. You can freeze chopped grass or whole leaves.
For cubes with melissa and mint, the plants are placed in molds, filled with cold boiled water and sent to the freezer for several hours. Then remove the cubes from the containers and put them in bags for freezing. If desired You can chop the herb with a blender and freeze the mint and lemon balm in the form of mashed potatoes.
Whole leaves and tops of the shoots will be useful for brewing tea and making other fragrant drinks, compotes, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. They can be added to stewed vegetables, meat, chicken, salads, dessert soups, cheese curds and cereals, cheesecakes.
Cubes are also ideal for a refreshing drink and a cocktail. Mashed potatoes are added to pastries, sauces, salad dressings.
How to use after salting and which dishes can I add?
Mint and lemon balm have been applied in conservation. They are added to jams and compotes, with them salted and pickled vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage. The herb gives such dishes aroma and spicy taste, saturates them with vitamins and minerals. It is used even when salting meat and fish.
When sauteing cabbage and other vegetables, mint or lemon balm lay out layers. Perhaps the combination of these herbs with dill, basil, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, parsley, thyme, black currant leaves, cherries.
Add plants, both fresh and dried. After conservation grass can serve as decoration of dishes and used in salads.
Is it possible to freeze for tea and other features
We talked about the possible joint harvesting of mint and lemon balm, we emphasize once again that these two plants perfectly complement each other. And tea from a mixture of these herbs will simultaneously tone and relax the nervous system, strengthen the heart and blood vessels.
Since mint contains a high concentration of tannins, bitterness and essential oil, only 2-3 fresh leaves are added for brewing a cup of tea, while lemon balm needs to be taken more, therefore, when these tea plants are dried together, the proportion of lemon balm must be greater than mint.
The easiest way to keep plants is to freezewhile the herbs retain more flavor and taste than when dried. However, during prolonged freezing, both plants change color and their taste qualities deteriorate.
In cooking, the main thing to remember is that you need to add spices a few minutes before the end of cooking or stewing, then the grass will give its flavor to the food.
Delicate spicy mint and lemon lemon balm are different plants, each of them has its advantages, in its own way has a beneficial effect on the body. Together, dried or frozen in a container, even in winter they will create a unique feeling of freshness and vigor and fill the person with positive emotions.
