#1177 Peppermint Saint

It’s me again.

Things have been non-stop with the whole Farm Kingdom stuff lately, keeping me busy, but that’s not all I’ve been doing.

I’m still putting a lot of effort into this year’s crops back at the farm, and I’m doing my best every day as a father, too.

My oldest son, Junior, and my second son, Norito, are both at the age where they’re growing rapidly.
They need to eat a ton and grow big.

And that means I can’t slack off on snacks either.
Using all the skills I’ve honed over the years and the materials I’ve gathered, I’ve been whipping up a bunch of snacks to keep the kids happy.

Whenever I make pancakes, Junior and Norito’s eyes light up, and they get so excited. For some reason, though, even Veil, the elves, and other young folks start showing up, their eyes sparkling, too.
What’s up with that?

At this rate, I bet my youngest, Shotaro, who's still a baby, will soon be scarfing down snacks, too... I’m really looking forward to that.

But right now, our snack situation is kind of in a pinch.

...I’m running out of ideas.

It’s been a few years since I started giving the kids snacks.
With only a few options in rotation, I’ve run out of variety, so it’s just the same stuff over and over.

That’s fine, I guess, but even I could use something fresh once in a while.

With that in mind, I’ve been hunting for new snack ideas, day and night.

“Got any good ideas, Platy?”
“Hmm?”

First, I decided to ask my wife, Platy, who’s closest to me.

“Well... I’ve got a good idea. It’s inspired by the baked shellfish dish, Sazae no Tsuboyaki...!”
“Oh! No thanks.”

While getting fancy with the dishware might be fun, the Sazae shells are clearly not the most practical to use as dishes.
I’ll leave those quirky ideas to Aileron's pottery-making skills... but let’s stick to our original goal.
That means, making snacks.

“Well... I can’t think of anything other than Sazae, but how about taking a look at my herb garden?”

Platy mumbles.
Really? She can’t think of anything except Sazae...?

But the herb garden, huh...

Platy, once a bona‑fide princess of the Mermaid Kingdom, now keeps a personal herb patch tucked into a corner of our farm, the place she married into.
Seeing as she’s also a first‑rate witch, she needs a reliable way to keep the potion‑grade greenery coming, and this little garden handles the job nicely.

Like Platy, witch Garra Rufa has her own patch of medicinal herbs on the farm, and the next‑gen witches—Discus, Veiltail, and the rest—have copied the idea.

Each garden is stocked with plants that fit its owner’s specialty, so the girls sometimes trade herbs back and forth when they need something the others grow.

Puffer and Lampeye also kept gardens back when they lived with us, but after tying the knot and heading back to the Mermaid Kingdom, they dug up every last root and took their plots with them.

A witch’s herb garden is basically her lifeline.
Platy’s is the granddaddy of them all. The oldest, biggest, and most impressive on the whole farm.

I’ve stepped inside a few times over our married life, and it’s still as jaw‑dropping as ever, an emerald sea of greenery on all sides.

“Oh, perfect timing! The weeds have been growing like crazy, so I was just about to do a big weed-pulling session.”

Platy?!
She’s just trying to make me her weed-pulling slave, isn’t she?!

“Well, you know, doing something nice for your wife doesn’t hurt. Plus, maybe I’ll get a good idea while I’m working... Oh, by the way, how about this turmeric? It’s a must-have when making curry!”

Turmeric’s another herb Platy grows in her garden.
I usually do most of the cooking at home, but when it comes to curry, that’s her specialty. The main spice for the curry, like turmeric, comes from her herb garden.

“Curry crackers... That might be good, but I don’t want to overlap with dinner...”

I keep scanning the area for ideas while pulling out weeds.
I’ve been working in farming for a long time now, so I can tell the difference between a weed and a real plant.

“Ah, that’s fine, Dear. Don’t touch that spot.”

Huh? Why?
That patch is even worse off than the others.

“That area has some tricky plants. They grow super fast and if they mix with the other herbs, they’ll just take over and wipe out everything else. I’ll handle it myself later.”

Huh...
So, that’s how it is.

I guess plants have their own personalities, too.

Actually, this reminds me of a plant back in my old world.
It had crazy fast growth, and once it took root, you couldn’t get rid of it, so they always told you not to plant it in your garden...

Mint.

Yeah, it was mint!
The same mint that’s planted in Platy’s herb garden!

Mint’s a type of herb.
It’s often used in sweets for its fresh fragrance.

If I use this, maybe I can make a unique snack!

“Platy! Can I use some of this?!”
“Well, it grows back right away, so I don’t mind...”

Ignoring Platy’s confused look, I start ripping mint leaves like crazy.
As soon as I pluck them, the fresh, cool scent of mint wafts up!!!

Mmm, I really dig this minty scent.
It’s got such a crisp, refreshing vibe.
That cool rush that shoots straight up your nose is probably why it pairs so perfectly with desserts that can get sweet enough to give you sugar‑induced heartburn.

I’ve found a great ingredient!!!

After gathering a bunch of mint from Platy’s garden, I pulled out some vanilla ice cream from the fridge and scattered the mint leaves on top.

Time for the taste test.

“This tastes amazing!”

Just as I imagined, the combination was perfect.
The sweet vanilla ice cream, which could be too rich on its own, was balanced by the cool, refreshing mint every time you took a bite. It’s like a new burst of freshness every time!

This is what you call a perfect flavor match!

Next up, I decided to make some mint herbal tea.

Mint’s an herb, after all.

I boiled up some hot water and tossed in the mint leaves, letting it brew for about two minutes.
What I got was a fresh mint tea, loaded with all the minty goodness.

I take a sip.

“...It’s blowing straight out my nose!”

Like… actual air is escaping.

When you hear “herbal tea,” you expect a cozy blend of several leafy bits or maybe a spoonful of sugar. But this is a no‑mix, one‑hundred‑percent mint uppercut that knocks your brain clean out of your skull.

“Kukuku... This is a real kick...!”

As expected of the stuff they put in stay‑awake gum...!

With that, our experiments rolled on without a hitch...
And at last, we’re on to the implementation phase!

If this dish is going to hit Juniors’ dining table, it needs to be the freshest, flashiest new creation around!
Not just tasty—something that’ll stick in their memories the moment they lay eyes on it.

And that’s when it hits me: choco‑mint ice cream!!!

That outrageously bright, almost radioactive blue‑green!
See a color that unusual and everyone does a double take!

It’s settled; we’re making chocolate mint ice cream today!

First job: cook up a mint syrup to swirl into the ice base.

I cram in even more mint leaves than when I brewed mint tea, boiling them down to squeeze out every last drop of minty goodness.
Then, I dump in a mountain of sugar.

What comes out is pure liquid mint essence, the leaf’s soul distilled into syrup form.

Whoa, that’s green…!
Way greener than I pictured…!

Mix this stuff in and the ice cream’s bound to turn bluer than a summer lagoon.

But I don’t hesitate.
I splash the mint syrup into the custard before it’s fully chilled. Sploosh.
While I’m at it, I toss in a handful of chopped chocolate. Sploosh.

I stir it all together until the chunks are even, shove the tub into the freezer, and let time do its thing.

***

Finally, it’s time for the big reveal!
The new creation: chocolate mint ice cream!

It’s... blue! Like, “Yuri Gagarin would be impressed” blue!
And the chocolate chunks are the perfect touch. The cool minty freshness and the rich sweetness of the chocolate is such a perfect harmony!

How’s that, kids?
This is your dad’s new masterpiece!!!

“It smells like medicineeee. Bitter!”
“Good medicween, tastes vewy bitterrrr!”

...Huh?