19 Oct Tue 2010
Kama Sutra Menta or the famous Jamaican wild Mint Tea Tree.Got Mint?
Welcome to Sizzling Hot Florida.Now start sweating .Got mint?
I had an encounter with the rare Kama-Sutra Mentha or The Famous and hard to find Jamaican Mint Tree like twenty years ago,I did not have a clue what does it represent until recently.
A friend of mine asked me if I need some mint in exchange for a garden work trade? He needed some help to clear out wild invasive bushes that are occupying his back yard.
I said , yes.I beleive in " a fair trade".By the way, I am so passionate about wild plants that some people discard and round up as weeds .
So , I volunteered to do a free landscaping weed elimination job using simply my hands as tools in exchange for some mint..That is what I meant to say!But...
Lo and behold!!!!
I was shocked to the secound encounter of the Jamaican Mint Tree instead, spreading like crazy bushes all over his backyard ...
I took into the weeding job with all my might , saving every single mint leaf and stem .Welcome into my garden Kamasutra Mentha.
Long time no see..I said ..and giggled to my self at the new found treasure..Now grow wild into my garden...I thought to myself..for you are a sacred plant and will add blessings into my garden .I was serious , giggling stopprd!!!
For some of you who did not hear about this Caribean and Tropical medicinal plant , only known to the indegenous peoples of Costa Rica , Jamaica and the Carribean nations ( some add Southern Europeans too!), here are excerpts qouted from courtesy of www.plantogram.com :
I qoute plantogram.com:"
| Common name: | Costa Rican / Jamaican Mint Tree, Kama Sutra Menta |
| Botanical name: | Satureja viminea |
| Family: |
Lamiaceae / Labiatae |
| Origin: | Costa Rica |
| Damage temp: |
28 Degrees F |
"A plant belonging to the mint family...It is grown easily from seeds sown early in spring in rows 3 feet apart. ...Drill the seeds to a depth of half an inch at the rate of 10 to 12 to the foot. The plants will form a solid row if spaced 3 to 4 inches apart in the row. Only a few feet of row will furnish enough of the herb for family use. In good soil plants grow 16 to 18 inches high and require little cultivation.
The tender leaves and stems may be used any time during the season, but for drying 6 to 8 inches of the top growth should be cut when blooming begins. Sometimes two or more crops can be harvested in one season.
The leaves, fresh or dry, may be added to water for cooking string beans or used in soups, stuffings, and sauces for veal and poultry, and also in egg dishes and salads. This herb is one of the most satisfactory mixers." Unqoute.
The othjer thing which most people do not know about the value of this special mint is self explanatory in the common name it has: Kama Sutra Menta." Ehem ehem..ehem..!!
My Jamaican friends swear by its refreshing and cooling effects..not to mention its support to the Immune System.It is worth growing and trying if you live in a hot zone or mederate climate .BY the way...If you come to my Gardening classes, ask me for a sample.I will be glad to share or exchange a Kama Sutra Menta leaves/cuttings .Great as a reward for an energizingand refreshing tea after a hard work at the garden..
Got Mint? I do!
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