BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 2, 2022
Wintergreen was the first wild plant I tasted as a child growing up in southern Maine. The flood of mint in my mouth as I chewed that first leaf was so vivid that it burned its way into my permanent memory bank, and even now I can recall the day clearly. This little plant is a gift of big flavor from the Maine landscape. It’s easy to find, easy to identify and, as an evergreen, we can collect it even now, in the dead of winter. If you’ve spent any time outdoors in Maine, it’s almost a sure thing you’ve walked by a patch of Wintergreen somewhere along your way.