Most of you , if not all of you are probably aware of the many health and nutritional benefits of nettles, but hey, F*** it, let's just go through it all again for the fun of it .
The leaves, the seeds and the roots all kick arse .
Just the leaves contain 26% protein, (vegans take note) . They also contain: Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Silicon, Potassium, Manganese, Zinc, Copper and Chromium, Vitamins A and B. Stinging nettle leaves are therefore far more nutritious than spinach, kale, asparagus or broccoli or any other crop we can cultivate or buy . The only problem is that they fall outside most people's comfort zone because of that itchy painful sting, but its easy to protect yourself with thick rubber kitchen gloves if you pick or handle them ,and you should learn how to prepare them they are delicious, which is the point of this post.
The Benefits include :- see picture
When you pick the leaves pick only the top 5 or 6 leaves of the plant , these are the tastiest , the plant will grow back and give you more in 2 or 3 days , give then a rinse then wash by leaving them in Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar for half and hour then rinse again and leave then in water for a few hours or overnight , you can drink the water by the way its great , you can soak them until the next day or use them after a few hours depending on you .
If you want to sun dry the nettle leaves by leaving them in the sun for 2 days in warmer countries or 3 days in cooler regions, or just dehydrate them in a machine, then you just go ahead and make tea, put them in soup, or even smoke or vape them. they keep for a few months if stored properly in a dry place .
Yesterday we dug up our first nettle roots from the garden while were making way for growing some vegetables . We washed and dried the roots and left them in the sun and will make a tincture later - great for prostate health, so they say.
Apparently nettle seeds and roots are a stronger medicine than nettle leaves.
Dried and stored for later use. the other jars contain plantain and danewort
Personally I will use apple cider vinegar to make a tincture by just adding it to the jar and leaving it for a month to 6 weeks and using it in a salad dressing and in a early morning drink with lemon and water , it feels somehow less medical and less like I am getting old hehe . Like i said its preventative and also it will work really effectively in early stages of prostate problems , NOTE tinctures made with 100 percent proof grain alcohol are stronger than with Apple cider vinegar , just make it the same way and use a teaspoon or 30 drops in your tea. Tinctures are super simple to make and if your unsure about finer details again you tube is your friend in this case .
Jell took the time to pick up some seeds the other day which are a powerhouse, she collected the female plants, took the seeds off the stem then dried in the sun for a day or 2, we heard rumours they have viagra type effect from a friend who is a naturopath, it seems a huge mission to get enough to make them part of your daily routine though good luck with that if you are motivated to pick them up. There are videos on YouTube about identifying the females if you want to go down that route.
Here are a few things that we do with the nettle leaves .
1)Japanese style nettle puree
Chop up the nettles well then boil water in a big pan , boil the nettles 3 minutes . remove from the pan , strain the nettles and squeeze to remove most of the water then add a squeeze of quality wasabi sauce and some fresh brewed organic soy sauce if possible and mix well NOTE add the sauces very slowly as too much of either will spoil it , store in the fridge and eat a little with you meals . as a side dish . We prefer to make a lot and eat over a couple of days.
The Dressing in the pic is garlic fried purslane fresh from the nature.
2)Nettle and squash or pumpkin soup (no pic as pumpkin is out of season )
This is very simple just boil the pumpkin or squash with a big handful of nettles until the pumpkin is cooked and soft add salt and pepper and mix with a hand mixer or blender also you could add olive oil or butter after cooking
no need to add anything else its delicious like this.
3)Replace spinach with nettles in any Indian dish containing spinach , WOW
4)Nettle scrambled egg/omelette .
In a good frying pan cook a big hand full of nettles in a bit of healthy fat like butter or coconut oil until completely wilted then crack 6 eggs over the top , cover for 30 seconds , then add salt , pepper and cinnamon and maybe some cayenne pepper on the top , mix the egg whites around , avoid breaking the yolks if possible and when the egg whites look cooked and a bit solid break the yolks cover and cook 30 seconds more , you can try to form an omelette shape if you prefer.
5)Panfried garlic zucchini and fresh nettles .
Chop shit loads of garlic and fry in healthy fat with some sliced zucchini for 4 or 5 minutes then add the nettles leaves cover and let them wilt on the top for 5 more minutes , salt pepper and serve .
CONCLUSION
After watching someone interviewed last night who was working as a lobbyist for the agro-food and pharma business, he reaffirmed that the corruption and devious plan of the corporations, all in the name of profit and control, is killing us slowly. I was motivated to write this after hearing the extent that all processed food, non-organic meat and eggs, and veg that are grown with the use of pesticides are poisoning us and sending us to an early grave. It's a vicious corrupt circle that keeps us sick. We've got a way to put the middle finger up at the corporations that are poisoning us for profit. It's free food, with no chemicals. Plus, it's medicine. What more could you want? What are you waiting for?