Tag: 2021_December

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Nettle Mulled White Wine

We are coming to the end of the year 2021. We have grown so many nettles, cooked many dishes out of it, drank countless cups of nettle tea and nettle beer, used nettle for dying, we fertilized our plants with it, we got to know its historical uses, like magic spells, clothes, and furthermore its healing powers.

If everyone would have known nettle’s healing properties, it would be the most produced crop worldwide like cane sugar, corn, wheat, apples and potatoes. There would be too many healthy people on this planet. Imagine a world where there is no allergy, no high blood pressure, no anemia, no hormone imbalances, no dandruff, no baldness, no vitamin deficiency, no digestion problems, no joint pain and no cancer. It’s hard to believe that a common weed can solve all these problems, isn’t it? But the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is capable of all these things.

Now, let’s prepare the year’s last nettle beverage: Nettle Mulled White Wine.

Ingredients:

  • A bottle of white wine (750 ml)
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3 tablespoons of dried nettle leaf
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • A small piece of ginger (the size depends on how much you like the taste), chopped
  • 1 organic lemon, sliced
  • 1 organic orange, sliced
  • 6-8 cloves
  • 3-4 cinnamon sticks
  • 3-4 star anise

Preparation:

Combine wine and water, bring them to boil. Add the nettle, ginger and sugar. Let them simmer when you add lemon and orange. Cook for about 15 minutes, then give it the spices. Remove from heat. Strain it into mugs and enjoy this healing warm drink!

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Nettle Powder

The health benefits of nettle (Urtica dioica) are absolutely amazing! We can use the roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds of nettle for different purposes. The leaves and stems are covered with stinging hairs that stop most people from using nettle. 

How to use nettle when you don’t want to touch them in the first place? And how can you add nettle to your eating plan if you don’t grow your own fresh stinging nettle? 

One of the practical forms of using nettle is leaf powder. The powder made of dried nettle leaves is actually a concentrated form of nutrients contained in these leaves that are rich in minerals (calcium, potassium, silica, sulfur, magnesium, iron, copper), vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B9, vitamin C, Vitamin D, vitamin K), amino acids, proteins, polysaccharides, plant pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids), fatty acids, sterols, tannins and many other phytochemicals.  

Nettle leaf powder can be used as a nutrient-rich food additive in sauces, soups or salads, as well as a conditioning agent in cosmetic preparations, shampoos and hair masks. It is rich in green pigment, chlorophyll, so it is perfectly usable as natural food, cosmetic and soap colorant. Its high content of proteins, vitamins and minerals makes nettle leaf powder a great dietary supplement. It is often sold in capsule or tablet form as well. Nettle is well-known for its high iron content and it is often recommended to people suffering from iron deficiency.

You can use nettle leaf powder in cookies and biscuits as well. Sweet nettle may sound unusual, but worth a try. This nettle shortbread recipe is based on traditional Scottish shortbreads.

Nettle shortbread recipe

Ingredients:

  • 160 g butter at room temperature
  • 310 g flour
  • 70 g sugar
  • 3 tablespoons nettle leaf powder
  • ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 egg yolks

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Cut butter into small pieces.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, nettle powder, baking powder and sugar).
  4. Add butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  5. Add the egg yolks and form a ball of the dough. If you want a softer dough, add a tablespoon milk.
  6. Roll dough on parchment paper to about 1 cm thick. Cut into squares, triangles or use a decorative cutter.
  7. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy this green shortbread with a cup of tea, while lying on the sofa with a book to read on the cold winter days!

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Nettle Tea Blends

There is nothing better on a cold, wet, windy winter day, than a blanket and a steaming mug of herbal tea. Herbal teas are wonderful winter companions. Not only are they tasty they also have many benefits for your health. Making your own winter peace herbal tea blend is a simple task that can help you relax. This spicy tea is packed with iron and vitamin C, which when mixed together, are easily absorbed by your body.

  • 2 parts dried nettle leaves
  • 1 part rose hips
  • ½ part cinnamon (crushed)
  • ½ part chamomile flowers

For a fruity taste, you can add dried fruits as well (raisin, cranberry, apricot). Combine the herbs in a mason jar. Use one teaspoon of tea blend to a cup of boiling water. Let steep the herbs for 10 minutes, then strain and drink. Add honey if you like it sweet.

Enjoy!

Other Nettle Tea Blend suggestions: 

Sore Throat Tea:

  • 2 parts nettle
  • 1 part echinacea
  • 1 part thyme
  • ½ part sage

Hormone Balance Tea:

  • 3 parts nettle
  • 1 part raspberry leaf
  • ½ part lady’s mantle
  • ½ part sage

Be Happy Tea:

  • 2 parts nettle
  • 1 part St John’s Wort
  • ½ part hibiscus
  • ½ part peppermint

Good Night Tea:

  • 1 part nettle
  • 1 part lavender flowers
  • 1 part chamomile
  • ½ part dried hop cone

Make sure you always label your tea blends. Hope you enjoy this wintertime activity with dried herbs in your kitchen!

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Nettle Fruit Leather or Nettle Roll-Ups

Nettle is such an amazing plant! All parts of the herb are useful, filled with minerals, vitamins, nutrients and dietary fiber, among other beneficial components. But when we make a nettle tea and strain it after steeping enough time to get the healing juice and nutrients out of the leaves for example, the leftover strained nettle is just a “waste” that usually ends up in the compost heap. Though, it is still beneficial for human health. Here is an easy and delicious snack recipe using leftover nettle, that your kids will love too. You will never throw away the strained nettle after you tried this nettle fruit leather again! But of course, you can use dried and re-hydrated nettle for this recipe. In this case, you will get an even more nutritious superfood!

Ingredients:

  • Leftover strained nettle or 1 cup dried nettle, soaked in water for an hour
  • 4 large apples
  • 4 large pears
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tbs honey

Preparation:

Wash, core and cut your fruits into chunks. You don’t have to peel them unless they don’t seem too nice. Add the nettle and water and cook until soft, then puree the mixture with a blender. Add the honey. Use food wrap or baking paper to line your trays. Pour the puree onto the sheet and stick it into a cool oven set as low as you can. You are aiming to dry it, not cook it. It can take anything from about 3 hours to about 10 hours to totally dry out. When it’s dried, cut even strips and roll them up.

It is easy to store nettle and fruits this way if your family doesn’t eat the rolls too fast.

Enjoy!