It's "Mint" to Be

My mother loves recipes. No magazine or newspaper boasting culinary instructions is safe from her recipe-clipping passion. My grandmother and I kid her about her binders and card boxes jam-packed with decades of delicious offerings...but WHO does everyone go to when they need a recipe? Exactly.

Mom also loves to garden. This week her mint was ready to be harvested...and after my boys helped cut it, we had filled a bushel basket! Now, what to do with it? We quickly decided to concoct a summertime family favorite drink...one of her fabulous recipe finds...Mint Orangeade.

Mint Orangeade
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C fresh mint leaves, lightly crushed
1 tsp shredded orange peel
2 C orange juice
1 1/4 C lemon juice
Ginger ale or Club soda, chilled

MAKE AHEAD PREP: In saucepan, combine 2 1/2 C water and sugar; bring to boiling. Pour over crushed mint leaves. Add orange peel, orange juice, and lemon juice. Cover. Let stand at least 1 hr. Strain, cover, and chill.

FOR EACH DRINK: Pour 1/3 C fruit mixture into tall glass, over ice, if desired. Fill with chilled ginger ale or club soda. Garnish with mint sprig.

Makes 6 C drink base.

Better Homes and Gardens, July 1981

But, wait...the recipe only requires 1 cup fresh mint leaves, and we had much, much more than that. Our solution? Make mint syrup. Here's how (using the preceding recipe):

Mint Syrup
In a saucepan, combine 2 1/2 C water and 1 1/2 C sugar; bring to boiling.
Pour over 1 C crushed fresh mint leaves. Cover, let stand at least 1 hour. Strain.

While mixture is standing, prepare quart canning jars, lids and rims. Then pour hot syrup (reheating if necessary) into hot jars, add lids, tighten rims until secure; invert jars. Jars are sealed when you hear lids "pop." Leave inverted until cool, then store until needed.

10 batches yielded 6 quarts of syrup.

Use Mint Syrup to make Mint Orangeade, or as a flavoring for hot or iced tea.

Enjoy!...It's delicious!