Pineapple mint is a variety of mint with green leaves edged with white or cream, giving off a slight pineapple scent when touched. It is easy to grow but can be invasive. It is a great addition to fruit salad, pineapple glazes, and mojito drinks.
Pineapple mint is a variety of mint that many consider to be one of the more appealing of the mint family. Growing to a height of nearly a foot (30.48 cm), pineapple mint has green leaves that are edged with a white or cream color. This mint is also known for its unusual flavor and scent. When touched or brushed, it gives off a slight pineapple scent, and when used in food, it will impart a slight mint-pineapple flavor. For this reason, it can be a delicious addition to fruit salad or pineapple glazes for things like ham.
The scientific name of pineapple mint is Mentha suaveolens variegata, and it is a cultivar of apple mint, believed to have first been cultivated in Europe and Asia. In most parts of the world, you won’t have a problem growing pineapple mint if you plant it in moist soil, in a part sun/part shade environment. However, once you get started, you may find it difficult to get rid of them. Most forms of mint are notoriously aggressive and can take over an untended garden in a few years.
However, there may be some benefit to the prolific spread of pineapple mint. If you want to fill an area with beautiful plants that you might occasionally use in the kitchen, mint can be a terrific choice, and the pineapple variety in particular offers what many consider beautiful foliage. You’ll also get a superior scent from this strain, although some prefer more “minty” scents that don’t mix with tropical pineapple flavors.
If you wish to reduce its spread, you may consider growing this mint variation in pots. It is a great addition to your potted garden and will provide you with an interesting herb for cooking. If you garden primarily in pots that sit on dirt, you may still need to herb heavily around the pots in the early spring, and mint can also hop from pot to pot easily. However, it is a more manageable method of growing mint without dealing with the plant spreading too quickly.
One of the trendiest uses of pineapple mint in modern times is in the popular mojito drink. This is a combination of chopped mint, sugar, rum, lime and soda water. By using the pineapple variant of mint, you’ll add a whole different taste factor to the drink, and the pineapple flavoring is especially excellent in combination with rum, as any pina colada fan can tell you.
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