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I have an abundance of mint that I'd like to use to make mint syrup. The plants are mildly infested with aphids, but that hasn't stopped them from thriving. If I harvest the mint, what can I do to wash off the aphids so I can boil it down to make delicious syrup, and subsequently, delicious mint juleps?

lukecyca
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    Who knows what is inside the mouth of aphid? bacteria? – lamwaiman1988 Jun 30 '11 at 02:39
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    @gunbuster363 A few aphids? That's nothing compared to what is allowed in canned corn, wheat, peanut butter, etc. [From wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Food_Defect_Action_Levels). – Michael Todd Jun 30 '11 at 04:20
  • They'll do you a lot less harm than all the stuff that's usually dumped on shop bought produce! – Umber Ferrule Jun 30 '11 at 08:41
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    @Michael Todd: Couldn't agree more! How about non-organic apples - apparently, the average apple is sprayed 14 times, with a variety of chemical pesticides, of which the combined effect on humans health has never been tested; in fact, the UK Dept. of Health advises against eating apple peel for this reason. – Mancuniensis Jun 30 '11 at 11:36

2 Answers2

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Just wash them off with a jet of water. They will come off easily. If you have already cut the mint shake them off and rinse off in the sink. Before using the mint check thoroughly. They should be gone and the boiling will make sure that nothing survives. Good luck.

Tom Tolisano
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If you eat frozen broccoli, you've probably already eaten aphids. (That document lists the presence of aphids as "Aesthetic", so the presence of a few doesn't sound too harmful anyway.)

Just rinse well and give it an inspection. You're going to boil the daylights out of it and then use bourbon as a "sterilizing agent" anyway :)

bstpierre
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