Merry Meet to all!Adding to the Tip of the Day about wild garlic foraging, this is the time of the year to start foraging for stinging nettles as well.
The traditional time for harvesting is May/June, before the flowering, but the very young and tender nettle shoots coming through right now are lovely and subtle in flavour.
The leaves of the nettles contain both iron and vitamin C, as well as calcium, potassium and silicic acids. You can also harvest the roots of the nettle plant, also I would recommend this later in the year, when they are stronger, so I will concentrate on the benefits you get from the leaves.
The easiest way to use nettle leaves is to just make a fresh nettle tea, by simply infusing the leaves (which are best slightly bruised in a mortar and pestle) in some hot water for 7-10 minutes. Nettle tea is great for stimulating the appetite, providing iron and fighting fatigue (why not swap your normal cuppa in the morning for some 'nettle zing'?).
The components of the leaves can also help against arthritic and rheumatic pain - my grandmother used to wrap nettle plants round her ankles for this purpose, but don't worry, it needn't be this painful, as nettle tea is also a natural diuretic, helping with the elimination of sodium and urea from the body, which eases the above conditions. Nettle leaves also act as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
If you are not a fan of the taste of nettle tea, you can also add nettles to homemade veg juices, just put them through your juicer with everything else you normally use for juicing.
As well as for all these health benefits, nettles just make a lovely ingredient in cooking, for salads or soups, even for flavoured wine.
Look out for tasty nettle recipes coming up!
Spring Blessings,
Ilona
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