This time I got to the nettles before the donkeys and sheep at them down.
Nettles grow wild on the farm and Jon and I drink a lot of nettle tea. We like it iced this time of year and I try to always have a jar of it in the fridge.
I dry the nettle on this rack in the office/guest room. It’s hot up there this time of year and doesn’t get any direct sunlight. These are stinging nettles so I wear gloves when I cut and dry them.
When the nettles are dry I put them in the blender and grind them up. I could keep the leaves whole, but it’s easier to store this way.
To make the iced tea I put about three heaping tablespoon of leaves in gallon sized glass jug and put it on the back porch in the sun. The leaves flavor the water just enough to make it refreshing with a subtle green flavor.
I started drinking Nettle Tea when a yoga teacher told me that she drinks it during allergy season. I make a jug of it, put it in the fridge and drink from it all day long she told me.
On the worst day I also take allergy medicine, but overall my allergies have gotten better not worse.
What surprised me about nettle tea is that it may be helpful for diabetes in a few ways. There’s some evidence that it helps manage glucose and has antioxidants that help prevent diabetes related-retinopathy.
I’m not saying it’s a cure-all for these conditions, just that it may help aid in managing them.
Knowing this makes me want to get out there and harvest more nettles.
I’ve been listening to a lot of things about gut health, mitochondrial and immune help. Yesterday nettles came up as a topic to help in many health disorders. Evidently they are just plain good for you in many ways.
I never would have imagined the first time I got “stung” by nettles that there was so much more to them Barbara. And they grow wild or I imagine they are easy to grow from seed.