Nettletastic

Hello Kitchen Greenies,

I've just had my morning green smoothie and today's was nettle. As I was making it, I thought "I must write something up about this much under valued, wild edible on my blog" and so here it is....

Stinging nettles get a lot of bad press, and if you've ever walked through a field and being stung by a bunch, you'll know exactly why. That said though, I feel that they do not get the respect they deserve, particularly because they are so good for us. They are high in iron, silica, magnesium, calcium, sulphur, Vit A, B and C. They also have diuretic properties that help flush toxins out of the body and also strengthen the blood. Sulphur is also excellent for healthy hair, skin and nails and is also good for detoxing the body. They are particularly good at clearing the blood and helping to cure anaemia.

The question that’s probably on everyone’s lips is “won’t they sting when I blend them?” and the answer is no, they won’t. Firstly, pick young stinging nettles or only use the leaves of older ones if you can. Another little tip is to wash them first, then run boiling water over them for a few seconds, before plunging them into ice cold water. You don’t actually have to do this, but if it will neutralise some of the formic acid that causes the sting and may put your mind at rest. This should do the trick and will render them safe for blending. A note of warning however, about picking these little weeds initially, please uses rubber gloves or you definitely won’t be using them in the kitchen.

Here's my recipe from today....

1 cup full of stinging nettles
1 banana
1/2 an avocado
2 cups of water.

The reason I added the avocado is because I've read on many other blogs that when usuing stinging nettles the smoothie must be drunk immediately after making it. This seems to be particularly true in the case of nettles, but if you add a half an avodaco i.e. good fats, the fat acts as a binder and stops this separation. It also makes it so much creamier. However, there was quite a strong taste of avocado off mine (which I love), so if would prefer to soften the taste, then just add another banana. You could always add some lemon juice too.

I hope this has helped in some way and you will now be picking those weeds in your backgarden and using them for the nutritional power houses that they are.

Feel free to share this post!

Have a super healthy day.

Kitchen Greenie.