Mint Brook Meadow Tea

William Penn, upon establishing the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681, sold 15,000 acres to a group of German separatists, who, like those of his own Quaker faith, were suffering persecution for their beliefs and looking for asylum. Eventually becoming known as Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutch) after their dialect of Low-German, the separatists brought with them their German liking of mint tea. Throughout the communities of their descendants, mint is still grown in many gardens and enjoyed year round as a sweetened, iced beverage or served hot with honey. The united States exports more mint to Germany than anywhere else in the world.