nettle soup time folks!!

[Polly Fouracre]

Half a bucket of nettles, tops only. 1 med. leek, 2 largish spuds, water, salt and pepper.
Rinse nettles, chop leek, peel and chop spud, add water to cover, simmer 'til soft, add salt and pepper, liquidise or mash with a fork or potato masher. Serve with a good swirl of single cream and fresh bread and good butter. Lovely!!

[Nicos]

Got my 3litres of chicken stock ready..so tomorrow is the day for us!!!

...Yup- it freezes fine- well worth eating cold too!

[Gardenwitch]

sounds great, i think im late for this year but will keep this in mind for future.

[hmk]

sounds great, i think im late for this year but will keep this in mind for future.

You can keep picking the tips of nettles for another couple of months.

If you have nettles in your garden or on your plot, cut them back and use the regrowth as you would in the spring. The cuttings are full of minerals etc, so wilt and feed to chickens/livestock, make nettle tea or just put on your compost heap.

I did a lot of searching on the web after looking at '101 Uses for nettles' in Amazon, and found recipes for syrups and all sorts.
I use them like spinach (great in curries and pastas) and even the children like them, especially in a pie with mashed potato and baked beans (layer in a dish, nettles (or spinach )in a cheese sauce, then baked beans then mashed potato and bake until bubbling and crispy on the top. It's nicer than it sounds!)
What I would say about nettle soup is that it tastes much better than in smells whilst cooking...

13 May is the beginning of Be Nice to Nettles Week!

National Be Nice to Nettles Week


HMK

[poly]

Finally made my soup (first lot of nettles picked ended up in the compost as things went a little askew) second attempt, wow impressed, what a colour and very much enjoyed, will defo be making again. Thanks for the inspiration.

Any other nettle recipies or ideas?

[hmk]

Finally made my soup (first lot of nettles picked ended up in the compost as things went a little askew) second attempt, wow impressed, what a colour and very much enjoyed, will defo be making again. Thanks for the inspiration.

Any other nettle recipies or ideas?

I haven't tried all of these recipes-

Nettle Beer Recipe - Beverage Recipes

Nettle Pesto

Nettle Tagliatelle Recipe | Food | Channel4.com

Nettle syrup: Recipes: UKTV Food

A stinging riposte to supermarket prices - Telegraph
This one is nettle gnocchi, which I have made (with tomato sauce rather than the suggested blue cheese) and it's delicious. A bit fiddly but it freezes well, and the children helped )


HTH

HMK

[poly]

Wow thanks for those, better get my gloves back on!

I'll have a good read through and hopefully have a go at the weekend.

[wellie]

Nicos,
I share your passion for this lovely soup darling. It's one of the Yummiest Soups I've ever made ( - and in true Wellie-fashion, out of the corner of my eye, over there, in my noo garden, today are some Wild Garlic leaves, and my brain is already pondering if the two would be Gorgeous together, or perchance too much for one's Tummy all at once(!) I think I'll keep that particular recipe to myself for now, and just celebrate your lovely one here.
I understand everyone's nervousness when it comes to trying something new and maybe out of a field or a corner of your garden, but, if you're on a Forum like this, and you trust some of us as sometimes 'knowing what we're talking about'(!), you could ask questions at any step of the way?
Nicos - I'm having to closely 'guard' my Nettles around here in case the Livestock eat them before I can get to them. The ones in my back garden are safe, unless Trousers hasn't been listening to me!

Lovely thread. Thank You. X

[hmk]

I meant to add (can you tell I've been thinking a lot about nettles this year?!) that I've also been drying them successfully.
On a tray in a v.low oven until they're crispy but still green. Prop the door ajar with a teatowel or oven glove if it gets a bit humid.
I've found whizzing them in a blender/processor type gadget crumbles them the best, otherwise they can still be a bit prickly!
They are stored in an airtight jar, and can be added to soups and stews in the winter, or I'm adding mine to the dogs food...
Our new-to-us rescue greyhound has very flaky dry skin, so along with codliver oil etc, I had been adding a tsp of seaweed powder at £6 a tub! On a web site I found another herbal additive for skin problems at £14 for a large tub, and it contained.... nettles. Just dried nettles. So I've refilled the seaweed tub with that, and something I've been doing is working, much less doggy dandruff!

HMK

[Nicos]

Dried nettles??...hmmm..that's a good idea!!!!!

Tis a sunny day here- guess what I'll be doing later!!!

[miss_corerupted]

well that my day sorted tomorrow busy busy

[wellie]

hmk,
Like your style! I've got books on how to treat your pet homeopathically, and whilst I've kind of 'lost the touch' with doing that myself right now, I'm getting back into it again for our future. Well done You, and I hope that any more little 'Gems' like where that one came from, that you'll allow the rest of us to tap your brain and beautifully 'share'.
What a Star You Are, and Thank You. X

[hmk]

Just found this-

The wild vegetarian cookbook: a ... - Google Book Search


May be of interest

HMK