i remember the first time i came across chocolate mint (mentha x piperita 'chocolate'). it was in the tea and herb garden at stone barns and i was shocked. for some reason, i'd always thought that the combination was something that andes chocolates invented.
claire and i went to the union square greenmarket earlier this week after a day of sightseeing (lots of visitors lately!). since it's impossible for me to be in a place that sells plants without buying some, i got this little quad of herbs. the chocolate mint is the lower left one. its leaves are a richer green than the regular mint i have growing rampant in my meadow box from woolly pockets. i also got some chamomile, thyme, and chives. yum.
clockwise from upper left: chives, thyme, chocolate mint, and chamomile.