Oregano & Mint
The oregano is so green and lush in the spring! This time of year, before it flowers, is when the oregano is tender and mild. Use it in any food dish such as pasta, veggies, salads, potatoes…. just cut off a stem and use right away or store for later use. See under Cooking, Herbs for storing and drying.
Now it is summer and the oregano is blooming, the leaves are smaller and drier. The stems are spindly and sparse (see the difference in the pictures from spring to summer). Time to cut it back. The bees love the flowers and they look good in flower arrangements or in a single vase. I waited until dusk, when the bees were not as active, and cut the oregano to the ground. As you can see in the picture; little leaves and sprouts are occurring on the branches. A good rain will make it lush and full again. Look below at the third picture of mint. The mint was cut to the ground two weeks ago, the oregano will look the same in a couple of weeks.
Oregano and mint are a hardy herbs that will die back in the winter and be one of the first to green up in the spring. The oregano likes the hot and dry sunny spot I have it. I don’t water it and it thrives. Mint…will grow anywhere! At our last place I planted it in a sunny, stoney, dry area and it started overgrowing the area and growing into the grass! Never had to water it. I have it planted in a planter, my neighbor has it in an area and is constantly digging it up to keep it under control.
Mint is treated the exact same way as Oregano. They have the same growing pattern, except mint is a VERY aggressive grower. They are in the same family, oregano has a more rounded leaf and mint has more of a point at the leaf tip.You will also notice the stem is square. Compare the pictures, you can see the difference. Mint in the spring is tender, use it chopped fresh in salads, pasta, with fruit or make a batch of mojitos. Mint is used in Thai, Greek and Vietnamese cooking. It drys and freezes very well.
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Be careful not to mistake your oregano for mint! Never knew it was in the same “family” until Cathy told me!