Oh Nettle … the trauma of almost any child that quickly learned to avoid this plant …😊💚
The best time to harvest nettle is late March and April. From fresh nettle leaves, you can make soups🍵, add to dishes as a replacement for spinach and make juices, tea, lemonade or pesto out of it.
When harvesting make sure to wear gloves! I pick off the first 4 pairs of leaves from the top.
I’m a big fan of nettle tea and use a food dryer to dry the leaves and store them in a glass container to enjoy later in the year.
Each cup of nettle tea contains vitamins A, B, and K, is also rich in minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper, and magnesium.
Nettle Tea
Equipment
- food fryer
Ingredients
- fresh nettle leaves
Instructions
- Clean the nettle leaves and stems in very hot water (not boiling), sometimes I wash them twice to get rid of all the insects and dust. Some people prefer to just use leaves which is fine also.
- Once they are clean, place them onto a clean dishtowel or paper towels, and pat them dry.
- Spread the nettle onto the drying trays of a dehydrator. Set the temperature at its lowest setting ( 35°C) and dry for 6 – 9 hours.
- The stems will take longer to dry compared to the leaves, so always test them instead of the leaves to determine if the drying is done. If you want, you can also separate the leaves and the stems and dry them separately.Store the dried nettle in a glass jar.
- When making tea - place one tablespoon of dried nettle into a cup and add boiling water. Cover and let it steep for about 6-7 minutes. You can have it on its own or some people have ginger or sliced lemon with it .. Enjoy!
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