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A cup of nettle tea

A cup of nettle tea

The first shoots of young nettles, Urtica dioica, are very good for cooking both soups (see recipe in wild food post) and tea. According to several sources it is also good nutritionally: a source of iron, calcium and folic acid.

Here's a brief guide to making nettle tea:

  1. Start by picking the nettles, carefully. Use only the small, young ones - they grow more bitter with age. It is possible to pick them with a firm hand but if you are worried about being stung, using scissors and gloves helps.
  2. Wash the nettles one by one, to get rid of soil and insects.
  3. Put the nettles in a pot and add enough water to just about cover them. With some experience, you can adjust the amount of water depending on how strong you would like your tea.
  4. Boil until the water becomes slightly green - test by lowering a spoon into the pot.
  5. Remove nettles. The tea might go more bitter if they are left in. (On the other hand, the stronger taste might be exactly, well, your cup of tea..)
  6. Serve with sugar and sliced lemons. The lemons are very important, as you can see below.

Nettles - ready for the chef
The boiled nettles can be used much like spinach, or eaten as-is with some salt.

Nettle tea has a characteristic feature: it changes colour if you add lemon. Its colour depends on the pH and acidity of the water. Children love to add a slice of lemon and watch the tea magically change from a dark green to a bright pink colour. Play the video below to see it happen!

NB. Some people can experience a sensitivity to nettle tea


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Discussion

[…] A cup of nettle tea […]

[…] nettle season! We’re fans of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingtsall’s nettle soup, and nettle tea (kids love adding lemon to turn it from pale green to shocking pink). It’s fun to forage […]

We have just completed a walk in wiltsbridge.we came upon fields of nettle .after observing some people collecting nettle we decided to collect some.on returning home we have made nettle tea and hurrah the tea turned pink when we added lemon .there were mixed opinions about the tea with and without honey.we all liked the steamed leaves with butter and a wee bit of salt .will definetely try it again.

katz

21 April, 2014

[…] I would like to believe there is something in it. Nettle leaves are usually taken in the form of tea infusions, soups, or steamed to be eaten a little like spinach, there are some tasty recipes online, but […]

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dowty seals

19 June, 2013

[…] End note You can wow your little ones with an experiment: steep some nettle leaves in hot water, then squeeze in a bit of lemon juice, and watch the liquid turn from green to pink. It’s all about the pH, man.  Here’s a little clip to illustrate how. […]

Nettle is also good for asthma!

Katrina

5 September, 2012

I’ve tried nettle tea and lived it but I’m confused as to why it ‘bites’ us when we touch it yet we can ingest it. How comes ?

Dee

30 June, 2012

Nettle tea is really good to treat cellulite. Drink it daily and you will see less cellulite!

Viv

6 February, 2012

i’ve started consuming nettle tea for it’s antiinflammatory properties for a specific complaint.

i wonder if anyone knows, but if nettle tea was to stop being consumed for inflammation, would you expect the state of inflammation to return to the way it was or would it cause a lasting beneficial impact on health?

thanks.

Ben

30 June, 2011

[…] this year was stinging nettles – they can be used for the classic soup or to make pesto or tea. Apparently they’re full of iron so really good for you. Pick the tops off the nettles as […]

We are looking for Nettle tea (Leaf packing) at Mumbai or Pune (India). Can any body provide such contact?

Kamlesh Shah

17 January, 2011

Herbs should be steeped in water that has been boiled.
Herbs should not be boiled .
First boil the water and then shut off the heat.
Then add the herbs and let them steep (soak in the hot water).

CAROL

17 December, 2010

i used to do herbal remedies when having some muscle pains and they are really quite effective

Methionine

16 December, 2010

Herbal remedies are the best! I had some sprains and some indigestion; herbal remedies cured it*~-

ECM

23 October, 2010

my grandma always wants herbal remedies because they have very few side effects

Jessica Bailey

8 September, 2010

Training Walk 5 – Slogging!…

I found your entry very interesting and I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…

Support Our Forces

20 July, 2010

[…] A cup of nettle tea | The Woodlands.co.&#117&#107&#32Blog […]

Herbal Slimming Tea

13 July, 2010

Some people can be or are allergic to nettles. I just spent a night in hospital with a severe allergic reaction after just two very small mouthfuls of fresh made nettle tea! Not an experience I want to have again.

Matthew

11 July, 2010

the good thing about herbal remedies is that they do not have side effects.'”-

Isaac Harrison

30 June, 2010

I have a lovely crop which I have been keeping for the red admiral moth.Having heard a radio program on foraging and the good things about nettles we are converted to the idea. Now we shall see if hair grows and arthritis goes.

kathleen murdoch

29 October, 2009

l drink nettle tea 20 years bay bay from MACEDONIA

weoo

20 September, 2009

Cool, I will try this.
I recently began eating the nettles raw – which was pretty amusing – but i think this tea might be a better idea if i want to enjoy the taste of them regularly – Seriously, i like the taste of them, i don’t know why, maybe because i can’t eat that many things, but nettles seem to be fine and it is one of the few “vegetable” type foods i eat, and now drink as well.

Thank you.

High Treason

14 July, 2009

good thing you can make tea out of these cause they cover all of the 500 acres i own

sam

13 July, 2009

[…] A Cup of Nettle Tea at Woodlands blog […]