Farm Facts: Mint
Peppermint and spearmint have been grown in Indiana since the late 1800s. Today, the state ranks fourth in the nation in the production of peppermint and fifth in spearmint. Here are more fun facts about mint:
• 11 percent of U.S.-produced peppermint is grown in Indiana.
• The four varieties of peppermint are Black Mitcham, the original selection from the wild, and three variations: Todd’s Mitcham, Murray Mitcham and Robert’s Mitcham.
• Mint is grown for the oils it produces in specialized glands on the leaves and stems. This oil is recovered by distilling the harvested plants using steam.
• About 23,000 acres of peppermint and 2,500 acres of spearmint are harvested in Indiana each year.
More mint trivia
Source: Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service
My Indiana Home is produced for Indiana Farm Bureau members. Our mission is to connect you with the food you eat, the Indiana farmers who grow it and a rural lifestyle that is uniquely Hoosier.
Patricia A Allbright
February 22, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Hello, I love the article about mint. I have a mint that grows out in Lost River in Martin Co. For years in the fall there was this wonderful fresh aroma, could not figure out it’s source. Then, one day, as we were clearing a hillside there it was!.. It is what they used to call cud weed. Farmers had it for the live stock to cure stomach ailments. It is an ancient mint I am sure. I try to save the seeds so I can have more, but they really do not do well.
There is a weed I found on the ivy that looks like orange noodles. I finally found out it is dodder weed.
I think it had an ancient source as well for I was digging up ground for a flowerbed that had not ever been cultivated, I think.
“My Indiana” is a pleasure to read, thank you for it.
Patricia A Allbright