Mint in full flower: when is it too old to eat?

This is mint, and you can still harvest it. Flowering mainly means the plant is putting more energy into flower stems, so its flavour often becomes a little milder or more astringent than earlier in summer. The best leaves now are usually lower down on healthy shoots or on soft new tips, while older leaves on tall flowering stems can be coarser.

In September in Sweden, you can keep picking until the cold damages the leaves. Choose healthy green leaves and avoid yellowed, dried or spotted ones. For better leaves during the remaining weeks, cut back some of the most heavily flowering stems quite firmly and use the harvest straight away. If mild weather continues, the plant can often produce a little fresh, softer foliage.

• For fresh use, choose the youngest leaves first; they taste best.
• For tea, flowering mint works well too; both leaves and flowers can be used.
• If you have plenty now, harvest and dry or freeze it before frost arrives.