Ann Arbor Food
Here’s a pick of a dried nettle leaf. I don’t know why I never thought of drying out my nettles until now.
I am a big fan of fresh nettle tea as a cleansing tea to make the seasonal transition. I always buy a bag full when they appear at the Farmers Market some time in the Spring, but I always get too much. I do make some tea, but most has gone bad.
Stinging Nettles are a pain to harvest because they have sharp tiny burs that sting the skin. But they go away after they are cook in a tea or if they are dried.
To dry the nettle leaf (don’t dry the streams), I simple place them on a bakers cooling rack for a few days.
Once dry it is crumpled up and stored in a tin, which can last for at least a year. I combine my nettles with dried mint with a 1:1 ratio.
You’ll need a lot to make a tea, like around 1/4 cup because they are very light.
Ann Arbor Food
Emily and I are in the works with starting our own Tea Company. More on that later.