Drinks

[Baggy]

Hi all

Somehow I have blundered around the planet for 50 years without learning anything bushcrafty.

To prove the depth of my ignorance I am sitting here drinking nettle tea from a packet while looking at a huge nettle patch in the field at the end of my garden.

I wondered if you kind people would suggest how to collect nettles, how many, which bit of the nettle and how to use them to make tea. Probably all obvious to you guys :-(

As a follow on to that...
the field is also full of dandelions, dandelion tea?

 

[calibanzwei]

As with most edibles, go for younger and tenderer leaves - for tea in my Sigg cup I lopped the tops off about 6 plants, washed and then steeped in boiling water for about 3-4 mins before drinking. Taste was better than the smell
Dig up and dry the dandelion roots in the Sun, grind and use as you would coffee grinds.
Young leaves you can add to a cheese and pickle sandwich. Mmmmm.

 

[JonathanD]

It can't be easier. Pick the fresh green new growth at the tips and the more succulent looking leaves. Put about five to seven leaves in a cup and add boiling water.... that simple.

EDIT: Beaten to it by calibanzwei.

 

[Baggy]

Thanks guys, I had a horrible feeling that it would be that simple/

 

[JonathanD]

Thanks guys, I had a horrible feeling that it would be that simple/

I confess that about four years ago I did pretty much the same. Bought a load of nettle tea teabags from Sainsburys and then sat in the middle of a woods surrounded by nettles for a week whilst using the teabags.

 

[Kerne]

I tend to chuck the leaves in before the water has finished boiling and leave them - more flavour but I'm probably killing off some nutrients.

 

[durulz]

Or you could make beer with them!
Click on the link in my signature below to see how to make nettle beer.

 

[calibanzwei]

...but I'm probably killing off some nutrients.

They would only go into the water, which you're going to drink anyway - you loose out when boiling veg, but only ingest the veg and not the water.

 

[Hugo]

I do mine the same way as Jonathan.
And yes I do have Twinings nettle and fennel tea bags in the kitchen.