The image, above, shows the full corn mint plant (Menthaarvensis), top right along with close-ups of a single
spring, left (showing the leaves) and a close-up of the flower,
bottom right..
| Common Name: Corn Mint |
| Scientific Name: Mentha arvensis |
| Other Names: Wild Mint, Ginger Mint |
| Family: Lamiaceae |
| Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, N. Asia and the Himalayas |
Physical Characteristics
Mentha aquatica is a hardy Perennial plant, growing to 50cm (1 ft 8 in) by 1m (3 ft 3 in) in size. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from May to October and seeds ripen from July to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees.
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| Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers |
 Edibility Rating: 3 
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 Known Hazards: Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, large quantities of some members of this genus, especially when taken in the form of the extracted essential oil, can cause abortions so some caution is advised (pennyroyal being the notable example). Corn mint is a probable ancestor of garden mint, so the risk is very low.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Corn Mint along with all the Corn Mint containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Corn Mint as a major wild food ingredient.
Corn Mint, Mentha arvensis (also known as Wild Mint, Ginger Mint and Mentha austriaca) is a perennial herb of the Lamiaceae (mint) family that is native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America (essentially it has a circumboreal distribution). It is an herbaceous perennial that typically grows from 10–60cm in height (rarely attaining 1m). Like other members of the mint family, the stem is square in cross section and the leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, are simple, 2–6.5cm long and 1–2cm broad, are hairy, and have a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers (which appear from May to October) are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), are arranged in clusters on the stem, with each flower being 3–4mm long.
The leaves of corn mint are edible, with quite a strong minty flavour, but possessing a slight bitter undertone. They can be eaten raw or cooked, as a flavouring in salads or cooked dishes. The combination of minty taste and slight bitterness makes them ideal for use in North African dishes (substitute for garden mint), they also make a good pesto in conjunction with hedge mustard. A herb tea is traditionally made from the dried leaves. Like other members of the mint family, it should not be consumed in large quantities by pregnant women as many members of the family are abortificants.
Typically corn mint can be found on arable lands (the name hints at its association with cornfields), heaths and the damp edges of woodland.
Corn mint has a good minty flavour, though there is a bitter aftertaste. The leaves can be used as a flavouring for salads or they can be chopped, mixed with sugar and salt and blended with vinegar to make a mint sauce. The dried or fresh leaves can be infused in boiling water to make a tea. An essential oil from the plant is used as a flavouring in sweets (candies) and beverages.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Corn Mint as a major wild food ingredient.
Corn Mint, Mentha arvensis (also known as Wild Mint, Ginger Mint and Mentha austriaca) is a perennial herb of the Lamiaceae (mint) family that is native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America (essentially it has a circumboreal distribution). It is an herbaceous perennial that typically grows from 10–60cm in height (rarely attaining 1m). Like other members of the mint family, the stem is square in cross section and the leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, are simple, 2–6.5cm long and 1–2cm broad, are hairy, and have a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers (which appear from May to October) are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), are arranged in clusters on the stem, with each flower being 3–4mm long.
The leaves of corn mint are edible, with quite a strong minty flavour, but possessing a slight bitter undertone. They can be eaten raw or cooked, as a flavouring in salads or cooked dishes. The combination of minty taste and slight bitterness makes them ideal for use in North African dishes (substitute for garden mint), they also make a good pesto in conjunction with hedge mustard. A herb tea is traditionally made from the dried leaves. Like other members of the mint family, it should not be consumed in large quantities by pregnant women as many members of the family are abortificants.
Typically corn mint can be found on arable lands (the name hints at its association with cornfields), heaths and the damp edges of woodland.
Corn mint has a good minty flavour, though there is a bitter aftertaste. The leaves can be used as a flavouring for salads or they can be chopped, mixed with sugar and salt and blended with vinegar to make a mint sauce. The dried or fresh leaves can be infused in boiling water to make a tea. An essential oil from the plant is used as a flavouring in sweets (candies) and beverages.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Corn Mint recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1