When I was going through chemo, I found it hard to drink water although I really needed to. The drugs made it taste like mineral oil, and the usual standbys of lime or lemon didn’t work for me to mask the taste. Then I happened on this mint water almost by accident, it made drinking water a refreshing pleasure again. I’d had some apple mint growing in my yard, and had left a couple of sprigs in a glass of water ready for something I was cooking. When I took the sprig out of the glass to use, I noticed that the water smelled minty, and the result is the drink below. Mint is also soothing to the digestion, easy to grow, and easy to find in your local greenmarket or supermarket. Get the freshest you can find.
Preparation
1. Take 3 to 4 sprigs of fresh mint, depending on taste. Remove any damaged or brown leaves and wash the sprigs very well.
2. Put them into a carafe or water jug and fill up with water, covering the mint completely. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to steep for at least 1 hour. The water will now have taken on the aroma of the mint. Keep the mint water in the fridge and add more water as you use it. The mint will keep flavoring the water for up to 3 days.
Ann’s Tips and Tricks
If you are on chemo, if the mint isn’t home grown, wash it well before steeping it.
To drink mint water hot in winter, steep it in boiling hot water for 10 minutes.
If you can’t find fresh mint, use a mint teabag instead. You don’t need to put it in hot water. Put it into cold water and leave it to steep in the fridge for an hour. The taste won’t be as light as with fresh mint, and you can’t leave the teabag in there for 3 days, but it is a decent substitute.
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