Kissin' Cousins

Day 305: Observing Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium, left) and Peppermint (Mentha x piperita, right), you would be correct in assuming that their similar characteristics meant they were related. However true that may be in this case, it is not always a safe assumption. As botanical research has entered a new phase with the advent of genetic testing and DNA sampling, we are finding that many species we thought were related based on shared morphology such as flower/leaf shape are actually not related at all, and in other cases, plants we thought were distinctly different species and sometimes even different genera are in fact close kin. This is all very exciting if you're a taxonomist, job security at the very least. For the rest of us, though, it's a major headache as we try to update our field guides with new nomenclature and attempt to readjust our aging brains to accept new names in replacement of the ones we've used for decades. Even the Peppermint shown above has not escaped revision. Once thought to be a distinct species (M. piperita), we now know that it is a hybrid of two or more "kissin' cousins," hence the "x" given as its middle name.

Farming The Wasteland

Day 307: Some of you are undoubtedly thinking, "Oh, boy...you're going to regret that!" and you may well be right, but I like mint jelly on sourdough toast. I'm talking about real mint jelly, not the mint-flavoured apple jelly available commercially. After paying extortionate prices for two measly four-ounce containers of fresh mint last year, I decided to grow my own. The stuff is a weed; there's no call for it to cost almost $8 per half-cup! In the Barren Wasteland, there are two concrete pads. One covers the pit where my water supply's captive-air tank lives and measures about four feet on a side, but the other one (roughly 3' x 4') remains a mystery even after thirty years. Between them is a foot-wide patch of poor soil, a strip which seemed perfect for a mint patch since the concrete bounds it on the two long sides and theoretically, should prevent the roots from infiltrating the rest of the area. If I am diligent about cutting it before it goes to seed, I should be able to keep it domesticated and producing plenty of leaves for delicious mint jelly and tea.