Peruvian Black Mint - confusion!

[veggiechicken]

I bought these from Realseeds :-

Huacatay' (Peruvian Black Mint) NEW
This is a herb used in Peru, with a flavour partway between coriander and mint.
The plant is easy to grow indoors or out and though it can get really big in a greehouse or polytunnel you just trim it back to a smaller size if necessary.
It makes a delicious sauce that can be used like ketchup.
To make authentic Magical Peruvian Green Sauce or "Ají de Huacatay":
You need: 1 rocoto pepper (HPAL), 1 hot yellow Aji pepper (HPLD) - both with the seeds removed!, 1 cup of huacatay leaves, a small sprig of mint leaves, Lime juice, lots of garlic, olive oil, salt.
Put everything except the oil in a blender. Blend the peppers garlic and leaves together, adding oil until you get a smooth puree, kind of like making mayonnaise. Add salt to taste.
Put in a squirty bottle and drizzle liberally over rice dishes and fried things - it's fantastic!
If you haven't got the right chillies growing, then you can substitute any medium-hot chillies and it is still pretty good.

Today, having sown a few seeds I thought I should find out a bit more about them.

James Wong says they are Tagetes Minuta https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...ian-black-mint

Sarah Raven says that Tagetes Minuta/ Mexican Marigold can knock out the roots of perennial weeds.https://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/s...tes_minuta.htm

Wikipedia gives us lots of alternative names for it - including Stinking Roger! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_minuta and that it could cause skin irritation.

Also found a couple of old threads about growing it - if you're interested. I've gone off it completely.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ute_77111.html

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ghlight=minuta

Talk about confusing.

[farendwoman]

I bought these from Realseeds :-

Huacatay' (Peruvian Black Mint) NEW
This is a herb used in Peru, with a flavour partway between coriander and mint.
The plant is easy to grow indoors or out and though it can get really big in a greehouse or polytunnel you just trim it back to a smaller size if necessary.
It makes a delicious sauce that can be used like ketchup.
To make authentic Magical Peruvian Green Sauce or "Ají de Huacatay":
You need: 1 rocoto pepper (HPAL), 1 hot yellow Aji pepper (HPLD) - both with the seeds removed!, 1 cup of huacatay leaves, a small sprig of mint leaves, Lime juice, lots of garlic, olive oil, salt.
Put everything except the oil in a blender. Blend the peppers garlic and leaves together, adding oil until you get a smooth puree, kind of like making mayonnaise. Add salt to taste.
Put in a squirty bottle and drizzle liberally over rice dishes and fried things - it's fantastic!
If you haven't got the right chillies growing, then you can substitute any medium-hot chillies and it is still pretty good.

Today, having sown a few seeds I thought I should find out a bit more about them.

James Wong says they are Tagetes Minuta https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...ian-black-mint

Sarah Raven says that Tagetes Minuta/ Mexican Marigold can knock out the roots of perennial weeds.https://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/s...tes_minuta.htm

Wikipedia gives us lots of alternative names for it - including Stinking Roger! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_minuta and that it could cause skin irritation.

Also found a couple of old threads about growing it - if you're interested. I've gone off it completely.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ute_77111.html

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ghlight=minuta

Talk about confusing.

I’m interested - and I’ve got a very close friend called Roger - and (sorry to say!) he’s a bit of a stinker!

[burnie]

Anybody can write something for Wikipedia, it's not always accurate

[veggiechicken]

I have 2 non-stinking cousins called Roger (that's another long confused story)!

I put this thread up as it bugs me that plants are so often given different, misleading names. If they gave the Latin name as well it wouldn't be such a problem.

Jayell posted about using Tagetes minor to get rid of bindweed. Not for one moment did I think it was the Peruvian Black Mint that should have made an interesting addition to the herb bed. It might have killed everything else.

[veggiechicken]

Anybody can write something for Wikipedia, it's not always accurate

I know, that's why I went to multiple sources to cross check it.

[SarrissUK]

Yeah initially that plant sounds like the answer to all my nightmares of bindweed, but... I think I'll pass

[Small pumpkin]

When I read the title I got all excited about another mint variety.
Now I'm very confused. Is it a mint or not ? .
I don't want any of that in my garden, I don't know what it is

[Mark_Riga]

Well VC: 'All we are saying is..........Give seeds a chance. '

[veggiechicken]

When I read the title I got all excited about another mint variety.
Now I'm very confused. Is it a mint or not ? .
I don't want any of that in my garden, I don't know what it is

That's why I bought them, SP - another mint for the collection!
Enlarge the image on this site - its huge!
Seeds - Companion Plants - Tagetes minuta (Seed)

[Jay-ell]

I didn't think that it stank any more than other marigolds. Of course it was next to 2 compost bins so it may have been hard to tell.

It had a fruity flavour - something like orange mixed with apple, if I recall correctly, that went well in a salad.

It didn't seem to have an affect on coriander, basil or squash when it was growing - I probably had my best ever basil out of that bed (may have been down to the compost) but I didn't have bindweed in it later on in the season (did the season before)

Despite being a marigold they're not one for the flower garden except as a backdrop as the flowers are small and not very showy. The leaves are ornamental and mine got to 4 foot tall, although they say it gets taller.

It had decorative palmate leaves which, if growing in the green house, could possibly mistakenly result in a visit from the boys in blue.

[Mr Bones]

We put a row of Mexican Marigolds (Tagetes Minuta) along part of the boundary after clearing our current allotment. It worked a treat in holding back the couch grass from next door.
I liked the smell, not too dissimilar to citronella, didn't know it was an edible though.

[Ocelot]

I often grow Tagetes Lucida (also often known as Mexican marigold/tarragon), which is a perennial. It is fine during the year but never seems to survive inside during the winter (not enough light I suppose).

I haven't heard of Peruvian black mint, though, nor had any tagetes minuta. Sounds interesting.

I had some Imperial Mint last year (Micromeria), and, of course, Calamint, both very minty but not menthas.

[farendwoman]

I’ve just acquired a dinky little thing labelled “Corsican Mint”. A real ground hugger with tiny leaves like duckweed. Don’t know anything about it, but it’s very minty. Once it’s big enough I’ll try throwing it into various meals I serve up to Farendman and wait for a response. (Could be a long wait!). It tastes as if it would go with savoury or sweet things. Pleased with it so far.
Also got some plugs of Calamintha Marvelette Blue delivered yesterday. I think this is purely ornamental.
But it smells nice too.

[veggiechicken]

Update

I grew one plant of Huacatay in the GH, in a small pot, between the tomatoes.
It didn't "stink" but it was quite pungent if you touched the leaves. Its about 3' tall and very root bound in its tiny 3" pot but I didn't want it to escape if it really was stinky..
Didn't have any whitefly in the GH this year - or in the other GHs that didn't have a "stinky".
I'll let it roam free in a patch of couch grass though it may not survive the winter.

Would I grow it again?

Since I have the seeds, maybe.
Would I buy more seeds - No.