More people are inclined toward home gardening; one of the most commonly used herbs in households is mint. Many people want to grow mint in their home gardens or yards; mint is relatively easier to grow depending on how the potting mixture is managed correctly.
It also depends on the weather and environmental conditions of the area; mint plants can be easily kept under the full sun.
However, if you reside in an area prone to extremely hot weather, then you must be considerate about the sun exposure to your mint plants and make sure you choose an area with indirect sunlight in your home garden.
Once you have grown mint leaves, or if you buy them from any grocery store, you may want to refrigerate them before they turn rotten. However, there have been several observations by people that their refrigerated mint leaves tend to turn black when kept in the fridge.
There could be many reasons you may face this situation, and if you want to ensure that your mint leaves don’t turn black while being refrigerated, here are some tips that might help you overcome this problem.
Why Are My Mint Leaves Turning Black In Fridge?
Mint plants grow exceptionally well in damp soil; when the soil becomes dry, it can cause the mint leaves to turn black. Mint leaves that do not get their required humidity levels can cause the leaves to get dead cells; hence, they turn black.
Mint leaves must be grown and stored in places with the right light and humidity if you want them to last a long time. Factors such as the right soil type, temperature setting, and fertilization also play a significant role in ensuring the mint leaves remain fresh and do not turn black.
If you have a repeated problem with your mint leaves turning black while being refrigerated, the following tips can help you overcome this.
- Use A Water Container
One of the key points to keeping mint leaves fresh for a more extended period is to ensure the required moisture levels are given to the mint leaves. Moisture levels are necessary because if the leaves are kept in a dry environment, they are likely to turn black and eventually die.
If you plan to refrigerate your mint leaves, one of the best solutions is to use a water container, it is a simple process; all you are required to do is fill a jug with water, remove the bottom stems of the mint leaves and submerge them partially in the water; make sure that you do not fully immerse the mint leaves.
You can either cover the jug with a plastic bag or keep it open, which entirely depends on your refrigerator’s temperature and moisture level settings. This trick can help you store your mint leaves in perfect and pristine condition easily for weeks.
For this method to work, all you have to do is keep an eye on your fridge’s temperature and moisture levels; it shouldn’t be too damp or too dry. If you succeed in managing these settings, you are good to keep the mint leaves fresh and green for weeks.
- Regulate Temperature
One of the most used techniques is to freeze the mint leaves to extend their life span, but if the temperatures drop low and cause little humidity inside your freezer, this will make the mint leaves dry out quickly. The right amount of moisture is significant for keeping your mint leaves fresh for a long time.
If you usually keep the temperature settings of your fridge low, this will cause trouble keeping the mint leaves fresh, and they will turn black and become useless to use.
You can try to increase the temperature slightly, and you will notice a significant difference in the mint leaves remaining fresh for a longer time.
You will be able to see the difference as the humidity levels will rise; the right temperature will help keep the moisture inside the mint leaves. You can keep the thermostat towards the middle setting to ensure the mint leaves receive the right amount of moisture and do not turn black.
- Check for Fungus
Once you have ensured that your mint leaves are getting the right amount of moisture inside your refrigerator, you still find the leaves turning black. This can be caused by fungal growth inside the leaves.
In order to confirm any fungal growth, you will need to carefully check each mint leaf with signs of fungus and immediately remove those leaves from the fresh ones. The fungus can spread, so at the first sign of fungus, remove the infected leaves from the fresh ones.
- Wrap Mint Leaves In Damp Paper Towels
As mentioned above, humidity control is essential for the mint leaves to remain fresh for a more extended period. When you refrigerate mint leaves, the atmosphere of refrigerators is usually cold and dry, which can directly impact your mint leaves.
As you know, mint plants require direct sunlight during winters and indirect sunlight during extremely hot weather conditions; similar to the weather outside, the atmosphere of the refrigerator is cold, and there is no source of direct light and warmth, and this can cause your mint leaves to turn black.
To avoid this, you can use dampened paper towels and carefully wrap the mint leaves in them; the damp paper towels allow moisture to remain intact in the mint leaves, and they do not dry out due to the cold temperature of your refrigerator.
In most cases, it is advised that you manage the temperature settings, but if you cannot do that, you can try this trick.
When you wrap mint leaves in damp paper towels, you keep them in a plastic bag or plastic container that isn’t fully closed; this will allow the air to regulate and keep the mint leaves fresh. The damp paper towels can keep the mint leaves fresh for weeks.
- Freeze Mint Leaves As Ice Cubes
One another method to keep the life span of your mint leaves long is to freeze them as ice cubes. If you freeze fresh mint leaves immediately, they can remain fresh, safe, and secure in the form of ice cubes. This is an easily doable method for most people.
You need to make sure that you wash the mint leaves thoroughly, remove the stems and any rotten leaves and carefully dry them with paper towels. Once they are completely dry, please place them in an ice cube tray, fill each of its squares with cold water, and freeze them in your refrigerator’s freezer.
By freezing the ice cubes, their freshness will remain intact for weeks, and you can easily use them by popping out the mint ice cube and using it as per your requirement. The freezing process locks in the moisture needed to keep the mint leaves fresh for a longer time.
Usually, you will not come across fungal issues in your mint leaves, as these leaves are less prone to catching any fungus.
To keep your mint leaves fresh and without turning black when refrigerated, you need to ensure that the temperature settings of your fridge match the requirements of maintaining the freshness of the mint leaves and, without them, turning black.
The water container and damp paper towel technique are known to be more effective in keeping your mint leaves fresh and avoiding them turning black. One major point you need to remember is that the right amount of moisture is necessary for mint leaves, or they will quickly go black and turn rotten.