Content
- Dry stinging nettle: Procedure, storage, use
- The right harvest time
- How do you harvest the stinging nettles?
- The leaves, seeds and roots are drying
- Recognition of a completed drying and storage options
- What can you use dried nettles for?
- Tips
Stinging nettles are best dried hanging upside down
Dry stinging nettle: Procedure, storage, use
The stinging nettle does not care if you write it with two, N or three, N. On the other hand, she resents a wrong drying. Then their taste, their durability and their appearance can suffer. Learn now what's important when drying the nettle!
The right harvest time
Good drying is preceded by a proper harvest at a reasonable time. Harvest the leaves of the plant between May and September! The seeds are ripe between the end of September and October. Rarely, the flowers are collected. They bloom between July and September.
How do you harvest the stinging nettles?
The easiest way to harvest stinging nettles is to use a pair of scissors and a pair of gloves. Wear garden gloves or old winter gloves as protection against the burning hair! Cut the stinging nettles off the stems just above the ground.
The leaves, seeds and roots are drying
Now it's time to dry the plant parts:
Do not hang the roots for drying, but place them on a sieve in a dehydrator. Previously, they are cut into approximately 3 to 5 cm pieces to speed up the drying process.
Recognition of a completed drying and storage options
If the plant parts are really dry (leaves rustle and crumble when rubbed, roots have deep furrows), they can be stored safely, for example in a tin, a bag or a glass with a screw cap. The repository should be dark and dry. The right place to store later determines the shelf life.
What can you use dried nettles for?
The leaves, seeds, roots and flowers are dry? What can you do with them now? Those known as curative plant parts can be used among others for:
Tips
Without the stems drying the nettle is much faster! But if it takes too long, you still have the alternative of freezing the stinging nettle.