When Ohio was opening as a frontier in 1792, settlers could earn up to 100 acres if they homesteaded in the wilderness. A homestead required 50 apple and 20 peach trees. John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, was an enterprising businessman who traveled ahead of settlers planting and tending apple orchards on land he had purchased. He later sold the orchards to homesteaders. The last apple planted by John is rumored to be a ‘Rambo,’ which continues to grow in Nova, Ohio.
Use mint with fruit to create memorable desserts, salads and salsas. Combine it with honey and lemon juice for a go-to dressing that blends well with summer’s best fruits, from peaches, to watermelon, to berries. Whip up delectable fruit salsas like cherry nectarine (shown), featuring chopped mint for a zingy bite. In the salsa department, craft your own one-of-a-kind dip like roasted tomato-mint salsa, mango mint salsa with ginger, or pineapple mint salsa with red onion. Mint helps cool any spicy peppers in a salsa, which gives your tastebuds a hot-cooling sensation that’s delightful.