Herb gardeners know that mint is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it grows so abundantly and with so little effort; a curse because it grows … and grows … and grows, unless it’s contained in a pot or planted in a can sunk into the ground.

Of course, an abundance of mint is a joy to have on hand. Shred the leaves and toss into a fruit salad along with a squirt of fresh lime juice and some freshly grated lime zest. You probably won’t even need sugar. Cook up some bulgar, couscous or orzo, and make a cold salad with chopped mint, parsley, chives or green onions and toasted pine nuts. Add salt and pepper and a little oil and vinegar to moisten the mixture; fold in bite-size chunks of leftover cooked chicken or fish to make it a main dish.

And to drink, try this recipe from The St. Louis Herb Society Cookbook.

SOUTHERN MINT TEA

Yield: 16 to 20 servings

2 cups packed mint leaves

7 lemons

7 teabags orange pekoe tea

8 cups boiling water

2 cups granulated sugar

8 cups cold water

Chop the mint. Grate the zest of 3 lemons, and juice all the lemons.

Combine teabags, mint, lemon zest and boiling water; let steep for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding solids. Stir lemon juice and sugar into hot tea until sugar dissolves. Stir in cold water. Serve over ice.