Of course it figures that the one type of mint I really, really want to grow is possibly the only type of mint that is really, really fussy. I’m not talking about your garden-variety spearmint/peppermint/ chocolate mint plants, the kind that can overpower almost any of the weeds in a flowerbed (I use mint as groundcover under my peonies). I’m talking about a distant cousin called perilla, known to fans of Japanese food as the shiso or plum leaf. I’m not clear on why it’s called plum leaf when it’s actually a type of mint. And I’m not sure why it’s a type of mint if it’s so hard to grow.Most types of mint are so vigorous that even I can grow them from a cutting (and that’s saying something). Shiso has proved more difficult. I’ve tried to grow it from seeds and have failed several times (which isn’t all that surprising, since I usually don’t have much success with seeds). This year, I enlisted some help, in the form of my friend and former neighbor, Jimmy Lipton. Jimmy took one look at the seeds I ordered from the Internet and politely filed them away in the trash. He ordered some sturdier seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and, with grow lights, peat pots and lots of tender loving care, he coaxed a dozen little plants to come to life from as many little seeds. I put them in my garden today, and am hoping they will turn into big, healthy plants that will provide me with a sharp-edged green that can enliven my salads (they’re especially good when paired with tomatoes), pep up platters full of asparagus and of course add bite to the wonderful Japanese sushi roll known as umejisho (rice, pickled Japanese plums, soy-sauce enhanced dried Bonito fish and shiso leaf, all wrapped in a nice crisp sheet of black nori seaweed). I love shiso for its flavor, which is almost indescribable, and for the cats-tongue rasp of the surface of the leaves. Shiso also has medicinal qualities and is used in ancient Chinese medicine to stimulate the immune system.Unfortunately, no shiso leaves were available for the photo for this week’s column; and since no one up here sells shiso leaves, it seems unfair to devote the whole column to them. All the other types of mint are now super-abundant, in backyard gardens and at farmstands and markets. Buy a bunch of it to throw in cold drinks. A simple club soda is way better with even a single sprig of mint. If you live in Japan, or are planning a visit there soon, you can sample a shiso-flavored Pepsi. And then of course there are mojitos, which can help you ingest loads and loads of mint (along with a big dose of rum and a fair amount of sugar). Mint has surprisingly significant health benefits, although probably not enough to offset the impact of a sugar-laced cocktail. It is believed to help your digestion. It’s supposed to be a really good antiseptic; not sure if that means you can crush leaves on an open wound when you’re out in the woods, to avoid infection. I think that’s one of the questions whose answer changes depending on whom you ask.Mint is also a diuretic, and can help reduce water retention. But if you do have multiple mojitos over the Memorial Day weekend, be sure to replenish the fluids in your body. Speaking of gardens, as we were, most serious backyard farmers of my acquaintance have planted their peas and are seeing sprouts. Whether or not you’ve planted some peas, do go out and buy some mint plants. By the time peas are at farmstands and markets, or by the time your peas have reached the edible stage, you should have more than enough mint to complete this recipe.Mint, pea and leek soupAdapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa at Home”Serves six2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts; 1 cup chopped shallots; 4 cups chicken stock; 5 cups freshly shelled peas or two (10-ounce) packages frozen peas; 2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed; 2 teaspoons coarse salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup Greek yogurt Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and shallot, and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the shallots are tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.) Remove from the heat and add the mint, salt and pepper.Place a cup of soup in a blender, secure the lid on top and purée on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Repeat the blending process until all the soup is puréed. Whisk in the Greek yogurt and taste for seasoning. Serve hot.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided
Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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