Herb gar­dens are going crazy all over town and we want you to make use of that bounty in every meal. Here we present a series of recipes and ideas for putting all those deli­cious plants to good use.

Mint is not just a gar­nish for your dessert plate. It is so hardy and comes back every year so you’ve got to find ways to use it up. The choco­late mint pic­tured is in it’s third year. No spe­cial fer­til­iz­ers or any­thing, it sits in a planter in the sun and bursts forth every spring.

You know how your beer cooler smells all musty when you pull it out for that first camp­ing trip of the year? Scrub it out, then add hot water and throw in a bunch of mint leaves, close the lid and leave for a day. The mint “tea” will clear out the musti­ness and leave you with a fresh smelling cooler ready to be packed with beer. You can use mint to freshen up your suit­case, sleep­ing bags, tents. Just place a branch of fresh leaves inside and let the mint work it’s magic scent into every nook and cranny.

Behind the bar it belongs in cock­tails like mint juleps and mojitos. In the kitchen try using it in savoury dishes, like water­melon salad with basil, feta and mint or minted peas. The per­fect side dish to some grilled lamb and so sim­ple to make. Fry up some shal­lots in but­ter, toss in fresh or frozen peas, sea­son with salt and pep­per, sautee. At the last minute toss in a bunch of roughly chopped mint and serve.