A week in the life of a Herbwife

Winter stores are hard to quantify. I know in my head what lies on each larder shelf. There are two for oils, one for infused honeys, four for dried herbs, two for vinegars, half a shelf for flower essences, and the rest are tinctures, elixirs and liqueurs. Once upon a time, everything was in alphabetical order but that disappeared when space was at a premium or others helpfully returned jars to gaps rather than their homes. Most bottles and jars are labelled with a date of production but there are still a couple I have yet to either identify or throw out.

Some herbalists were talking recently about using the quiet time of winter to catch up on their herbal inventories. This has been one of my goals for many years but I doubt if it will be crossed off the list any time soon. My larder is full. The only way a new jar finds a place on a shelf is if another is removed. Any new preparation takes twice as long because something else must either be emptied, amalgamated or thrown away.

Saturday and Sunday were spent digging more roots. My long-suffering husband volunteered to do battle with nettle roots, which seemed only right as the prostate support medicine is for him. I attacked the first year angelica plants, removing six and leaving others to grow for another season. Then I tackled Solomon seal, quite a feat when the whole neglected bed is covered with nettles, hogweed and other unmentionables. I unearthed six roots, leaving the rest for another year.

One thing you notice when harvesting roots is the condition of the soil. The angelica was covered in a sticky, wet, dark brown, not surprising when the bed is below the spring line where clay meets limestone. The horseradish was in a completely different medium, the dry, light brown particles falling away from the stones as I dug down beside the wall.

Two hours spent removing four kinds of roots followed by another two on Monday scrubbing horseradish, Solomon seal and angelica before leaving it to air dry overnight.

The plan was to make tinctures with angelica, Solomon seal and nettle and a new batch of fire cider vinegar with the horseradish. I’d forgotten angelica needs overproof rum for its menstruum but luckily two bottles arrived back with the Monday shopping alongside more vodka. Anyone who didn’t know me would think I had a problem…!

Tuesday morning began with decanting two jars of hawthorn berry brandy and last year’s angelica root harvest. One of the  hawthorn jars contained quite a lot of gelatinous precipitate which I wasn’t expecting as the haws had been harvested before any whiff of frost. After discussion, it appears that hawthorn contains more pectin than either apples or lemons. So much so, the scientists are preparing to use it in developing new food preparations and drugs. (Take a look at the article here.)

To alleviate the problem, I washed the haws with extra brandy and added it to the tincture, which seems to have settled into liquid form. Hawthorn jelly is now on my list to make.

Every decanted tincture needs to be tasted. When you first start making medicines, this really helps to identify new tastes but it’s also helpful in deciding whether the season is a good one for that plant. This was my first ever batch of angelica root. It was possibly the worst tincture I’d ever tasted, probably not helped by leaving the roots in alcohol for a year. (We weren’t ill last year so I didn’t need it.) It was bitter, incredibly strong and tasted “black” with no discernible sweetness from the rum and not a great deal of the expected angelica scent. Interestingly, half an hour after swallowing the disgusting liquid, I realised my mouth was no longer burning and I really felt quite well!

A spare half-hour between piano lessons found me desperately scrubbing nettle roots in failing light wishing I could see better! Nevertheless, the amount I laid out to air dry on the kitchen table overnight was just enough to fill two large jars the following morning.

The final preparation from the weekend haul on Wednesday was a nasturtium leaf tincture, from a chance visit to my aunt and uncle the previous Friday. Nasturtiums have been very late growing this year and I only had one plant self-seed, which wasn’t enough to do anything with. Nasturtiums not only provide colour in a garden, peppery leaves for salads and seeds for false capers, they are a powerful anti-viral and have a special affinity for respiratory issues. My aunt had two plants curling their way along her beech hedge. She had no objections to my harvesting the hand-sized leaves which yielded enough to make a small jar of tincture.

Next on the list were ashwagandha roots from the garden. The forecast for the end of the week was very cold with the possibility of snow as well as frosts. Thursday sunshine dried the washing and threats of overnight rain decided me to grab a thick coat and wellingtons as light faded. The ashwagandha plants were happy to be removed. Those planted late into the middle raised bed were already leafless with small roots. They never grow as well in this cooler environment but even an inch of root provides a useful yield from thirty plants.

Most leaves of the plants in the large pots on the patio were still vibrantly green with secondary leaves already growing. Their roots were at least two inches long with a frenzy of rootlets. The cherry shells were nowhere near ripe, so those stems were cut to live in the kitchen window sill until they transform. Friends came to play with the model trains in the loft on Friday and they were more than happy to take part of the root harvest home with them.

A busy week beginning with roots and ending with spices when I prepared two curries from scratch for our Friday night meal. They all provide harvests to sustain us through the winter and hope to see us through the long, cold months ahead.

 

Making your own: Green Powder

Several years ago, we were sitting in the summerhouse at the Sanctuary eating our lunch and one of my apprentices started talking about green powder. I’d never heard the term before but apparently it was something sold in health food shops for large sums of money. The shop variety contained spirulina and other green “superfoods” and the idea was to add it to your daily smoothie along with other nutritious fruits or vegetables.

Later the same year, my friend and herbalist, Lynne Tynan-Cashmore presented me with a jar of homemade green powder which she added to soups, stocks and stews during the winter to boost the immune system and keep everyone as well as possible. I began to do the same. Every time I made spaghetti bolognaise sauce, fish stew, sausage stew or impossible quiche, I sprinkled in a scoop of green powder. I also added it to bones when making stock.

The powder disappeared into the food but definitely added a richness and flavour. I was completely sold on the idea that green powder enhances whatever you are cooking and helps stave off winter lurgies.

There was no way I was going to spend money in a shop when this was something I could easily make at home. What plants would be suitable?

The first thing to do when making something for the first time is to wander around your harvesting area and decide what is there. Whether this is your garden or a local park, canal side or woodland, you need to be certain you can identify the plant correctly to ensure it is edible before you pick it. If you’re in a public space you also need to have permission of the landowner (if you’re on farmland) and make sure the plants aren’t contaminated by dogs, cats, foxes, rats or pesticides.

My basic ingredients for green powder are ground elder and nettles. Ground elder is a major invasive weed introduced to the UK by the Romans to provide a green vegetable during the hunger gap in springtime. You must only pick the young shoots as older plant parts will give you the “runs”. It is chock full of vitamin C and minerals.

Nettles also have to be picked early before they produce their strings of flowers in late May (earlier if the weather is hot). I tend to pick the top four leaves to eat in spring, then do a major harvest of vibrant green leaves to dry in early May. These get stored in jars for nettle chai and other drinks or for adding to soups and stews.

The more you pick nettles, the more new growth you will produce and the longer you will be able to harvest. Nettles are also packed full of minerals and vitamins and are invaluable both as food and medicine.

Other useful green leaves which grow in my garden are sweet violets (plants introduced from the farm) and sea holly (a plant bought specially because the young leaves can be eaten in salad in the spring). You could add fresh hawthorn leaves as those have been eaten as they emerge throughout history. Later in the year, I will dry nasturtium leaves as these, too are packed with minerals and have anti-viral properties. You could add herb Robert leaves, since those also boost the immune system, but not too many as the scent could be overpowering and they are quite difficult to dry.

My favourite herbs to add to the mix are marjoram (because I have loads growing in the garden and it spreads like a weed!) and lovage because I love the flavour. If I had enough parsley, that would go in the mix and small amounts of rosemary. Sage would be good too, but I tend to use all my purple sage in cough elixir and I don’t like it in cooking. Similarly, I prefer to use mint and lemon balm fresh in egg mayonnaise rather than stews. You could add it to tagines, but I find my homemade harissa mix enough.

If you like aniseed flavours or wanted to make an aniseed dominated green powder to use for fish or chicken, then adding fennel, tarragon, sweet Cecily and dill to the background of other green leaves would work.

If you have plants like chard, kale, sorrel, spinach, they can be dried too, but be mindful of only using small amounts if you or someone you feed is prone to producing bladder or kidney stones.

How to make green powder

Gather a basketful of green leaves and herbs. Make sure they are clean and wash in cold water if necessary, drying on a tea towel or air drying outside if the weather is warm, covering with a muslin cloth to stop them blowing away. 

Place in a dehydrator at 40 degrees C for one or two days until completely dry. If you don’t have a dehydrator, place in a paper bag and dry in a warm place for several weeks until brittle to touch. Remove any obvious stalks from nettle leaves.

Pound the dried plant material into a powder using a coffee or spice grinder or a pestle and mortar. Pour the powder into a glass jar with a lid. Label and date. 

Store in a cool dark place. Should keep for at least one year. If the powder loses colour and scent, you know it will no longer be any good and should be consigned to the compost heap. Add one heaped tablespoon to any meal during cooking.

A time of balance

The wheel of life is constantly turning. Days grow quietly longer, edging us out of winter’s darkness into the promise of spring renewal. Each year we anticipate change and each cycle bring new things to notice and consider.

This year has brought us so much loss. Everyone has been touched either publicly or privately and for some, the final journey in this world continues, affecting those they love and all who know.

In the countryside, the mild winter has not allowed the period of rest the land expects. Primroses have been blooming since December, maybe to prompt questions about its qualities. It is not just the flowers which gladden our sight and bring their candied sweetness to the table, the whole plant can gently soothe us. Leaves and flowers can be dried for tea and tinctures, while the flower essence can be helpful to stressed children.

Mature primrose roots are harvested in autumn before drying to combat nervous headaches. In ancient times, primroses were held in great regard for muscular rheumatism, paralysis and gout but today they are more often used as an expectorant or as a general tonic for the respiratory and nervous system.

The plants must have been laughing at us as we gathered around them last weekend in glorious sunshine, wondering about their properties when there was so much we could have been doing!

There was much we did do. Nibbling on St John’s wort and ground ivy leaves, noting their fresh and pungent flavour as well as storing up their properties for future reference. A medicinal tea was created for toothache from meadowsweet, sage and thyme but we drank nettle for refreshment and nettle soup to sustain us.

There is nothing which compares with young, fresh nettle. When asked to describe the flavour, the only real answer is “green” which tells us nothing and everything in just one word. We crave the vigour of this early plant to cleanse our sluggish blood stream after winter stagnation. It brings the vitamins and minerals we need to enhance our mood and start our activities in the lengthening light.

Helen’s nettle soup

A bowlful of fresh nettle tops

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

5 hazelnuts

1 stick of celery

1 potato

4 pints stock/water

Peel and dice the onion, celery and garlic, sweat them in a pan with oil until soft. Crush the hazelnuts and add to the pan with the peeled and sliced potato. Cook for about fifteen minutes until almost soft. Add the nettle tops five minutes before cooking ends. Season to taste. Blitz the soup until smooth. Serve with sourdough bread.

We find new allies amongst the detritus covering the herb beds. Bramble roots for digestive upsets infused in vinegar, golden nettle roots to tincture for prostate health and the ubiquitous couch grass to soothe the pain of urinary tract infections –cystitis, urethritis and prostatitis. It helps to dissolve stones and gravel as well as preventing their build up. It is also used for bronchitis and laryngitis and can be used with other herbs to treat gout and rheumatism.

The rhizomes are thin, white threads in the soil leading up to tufts of grass-like leaves on the surface. The underground labyrinths are washed and cut up into inch-long sections before drying. A mild, pleasant-tasting tea is made from infusing 2 tsps. of the roots in boiling water for ten minutes and can be drunk three times a day for a medicinal or preventative dose.

No matter where we look there is new growth. In my garden, pigeons are feasting on emerging hawthorn leaves. Elder leaves have been present for a few weeks now and the crampbark buds are beginning to burst. Other trees are still asleep but it won’t be long before their sap with be rising.

Now is the time for preparation, to sow seeds, to divide roots and begin cuttings. The light encourages us outside to experience a new warmth, another new beginning and all possible hope for the future.

Living with my gallbladder – some low fat recipes

One of the last things said to me by the discharging doctor last November, was, “I want you to see the dietician about a low fat diet.” Several hours later a smiling young woman appeared by my bed and handed over a leaflet. The first half was entitled, “Foods you can eat” and the second was “Forbidden foods”. The word, ‘forbidden’ had been crossed out and replaced with ‘foods to eat sparingly or avoid’.

So out of my life went cream, cheese, hummus, deep fried foods, nuts, seeds and most things containing fats. I could have half a pint of semi-skimmed milk or a pint of skimmed. Oily fish was a no-no but I could have salmon once a week.

I soon realised I was brought up on a low fat diet. My mother couldn’t tolerate fat with her duodenal ulcer, so we weren’t exposed to it. It’s probably why my gall bladder has never functioned properly and why I was ill every time I went away to a conference!

She never made a roux, she added a flour and milk paste to boiling milk to thicken a sauce, so that’s the way I’ve always done it. She taught me to remove all the fat from meat juices before making gravy so that’s what we do. The leaflet told me to make gravy from vegetable water, which I do, but to throw away meat juices. Blow that for a game of solders! (as my mother would say!)

I’ve always used good fats and know they’re important for my overall health. I don’t want my joints creaking because I’ve ceased to oil them! Now I just use less of them and notice when there are consequences to eating something which means I should pay attention.  I still spread butter on my toast or bread but in sparing amounts. There’s no way I’m using industrial low fat spreads, thank you very much!

Mushrooms cooked in milk and butter in the microwave, which used to be a staple lunch for us, is not a good idea but I can tolerate mushrooms fried in a small amount of sunflower oil with grilled bacon either for lunch or as part of a “full English” breakfast. I still fry onions and red peppers, garlic and ginger as the basis of most of my cooking (soups, stews, bolognaise sauce etc.). When you make ten pints of something at a time, a tablespoon of oil is not a huge amount and can easily be tolerated.

Spices are not a problem, so I’ve used them and low fat coconut milk or yoghurt and tomatoes to make tagines, curries or just to spice things up a bit. When you don’t have fat to provide flavour or umami, you have to search elsewhere. Now I’ve got access to fresh herbs in my garden again, I’m also throwing large amounts of marjoram, lovage and mint into most of my cooking when I want a lighter and delicious flavour.

Here are three recipes I’ve adapted to keep my gall bladder happy.

Nettle Impossible Quiche

1cup semi-skimmed milk

4 eggs

1/5cup flour

1 onion

1 red pepper

2/3 cloves garlic

1 drained small can of tuna or 2 slices of cooked ham cut into small cubes.

2 large handfuls of young nettle tops and leaves or spinach/kale/other greens

Large handful of herbs (parsley, basil or a mint/marjoram/lovage mix)

Grease a large round dish. Dice the onion, red pepper and garlic and sweat in a small amount of oil in a small frying pan. Wilt the nettles on top of the onion mix for about five minutes by putting a lid over the frying pan. Drain any liquid from the pan before adding to the batter. Dice the cooked ham or strain the tuna and break up into flakes. Whisk the eggs with the milk then add the flour and season well to make a batter consistency. Chop the herbs finely then add all the other ingredients to the egg batter so everything is well mixed. Pour into the prepared dish and cook in a moderately hot oven for around thirty minutes until well risen and set. It will flatten after you take it out of the oven. Serve with salad and crusty bread hot or cold or with vegetables for a main meal. This freezes really well and can be cut up into single portions before freezing.

Ham and Sweetcorn Soup

8oz cooked ham cut into small pieces

4 large potatoes peeled and diced

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced

2/3 garlic cloves crushed or peeled and sliced

1 small chilli or 1 inch root ginger, peeled and diced.

1 tin sweetcorn, drained

2 tblsps Worcestershire sauce

Handful of herbs (parsley or marjoram and lovage) finely chopped

Sweat the onions, red pepper, garlic and chilli or ginger until soft. Add the potatoes, herbs and ham and cover with water and season well. Bring to the boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Add the strained sweetcorn and heat through.

This is a substantial soup which can be enjoyed with or without bread.

Mushroom Soup

1lb mushrooms

2 large potatoes

2 carrots

2 celery stems

1 onion

Wash and slice the mushrooms. Peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and celery. Peel and dice the onion.

Sweat the onion in a small amount of oil until soft, add all the other ingredients and cover with water. Season well. Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour until everything is cooked. Blend and serve. This makes a delicious creamy soup without the need for a white sauce.

What can you do with young nettles?

Despite the bitter cold here, nettles are appearing in sufficient quantities to gather. Everyone has their own favourite recipe for this wonderful plant; I thought I would share a few things I make with them.  

Nettle Tea
Gather two handfuls of fresh nettle tops, (preferably in Spring) and place in teapot or cafatiere. (Wash first if any soil or debris can be seen) Fill the teapot with just boiled water and leave to steep for ten minutes. Strain and drink. Honey can be used to sweeten to taste. 


Nettle Tea (long infusion)

Pick several handfuls of fresh nettle tops or two good handfuls of dried nettle leaves. Place in a Kilner jar or thermos flask and chop into small pieces with a pair of scissors. Cover with up to 2 pints (20 fluid ounces) of just boiled water. Seal the lid of the jar or flask and leave to steep overnight. Strain in the morning and drink during the following day. You may wish to mix the nettles with other mineral rich herbs such as red clover and violet leaves.

Spiced Nettle Latte

To a handful of dried or fresh nettle leaves, add one cinnamon stick, 1 clove and a grated half of a nutmeg in a teapot or cafatiere. Fill with just boiled water and leave to infuse for ten minutes. Heat up milk and whisk to make it frothy. Add equal amounts of strained tea and milk to a mug then sprinkle powdered cinnamon or nutmeg on the top of the drink. Sip while warm.

When I made this drink for a workshop there was a very interesting reaction.  Those people who normally didn’t like milk liked the nettle latte and those who normally didn’t like nettle tea enjoyed the latte. Seems like a popular drink for many people! When I made it at another workshop, some people asked for a milk-free tea and also enjoyed it. This spiced tea is a useful method of delivering a mineral rich drink to those who might not otherwise imbibe e.g. frail elders.


Nettle Maceration.

Pick an amount of young nettles, wash if necessary. Place in bowl and cover with cold water. Leave overnight in cool place. Strain and drink the liquid which is pink. This is best as a cold drink with a delightfully refreshing flavour. A pint of maceration will contain more calcium than a pint of milk.

Nettle Vinegar

Pick an amount of nettle tops, shake off any debris and place in a glass jar. Fill the jar full of plant material, chopping into small pieces with scissors to increase surface area, then cover with cider vinegar. Stir with chopstick to remove air bubbles. Fill the jar up with more cider vinegar so no nettle part is left exposed to the air or it will turn black. Cover with screw top lid and label and date. Place in warm, dark place for three weeks, shaking regularly. Strain and bottle, making sure the bottle top is firmly fixed. Label and date. Good for osteoporosis and general mineral deficiencies. Try a drink made from 2tsp cider vinegar with 2 tsp honey with a mug full of boiling water or add to other herb teas.

Nettle Ticture

Pick an amount of nettle tops, shake off any debris and place in a glass jar. Fill the jar full of plant material, chopping into small pieces with scissors to increase surface area then cover with vodka. Stir with chopstick to remove air bubbles. Fill the jar up with more vodka so no nettle part is left exposed to the air or it will turn black. Cover with screw top lid and label and date. Place in cold, dark position and leave to steep for three weeks, shaking regularly. Strain and bottle, making sure the bottle top is firmly fixed or the alcohol will evaporate. Label and date. Dosage is normally 1tsp, 3 times a day. Good for adrenal support in stress remedies.

Some people see nettle as a “tea herb” and think making a nettle tincture as a waste of money and alcohol. I find it useful when mixing formulae with other tinctures.

Iron Tonic

Soak equal amounts of fresh nettle tops and organic apricots in red wine together with diced orange peel. Soak for two weeks, strain and store in a cool place. Dose 1 or 2 dessertspoons twice daily.

Post-surgery tonic

Soak equal amounts of chopped, young nettle tops and fresh plantain leaves in red wine together with chopped prunes or figs, fresh dandelion leaves or ground milk thistle seeds. Soak for two weeks, strain and store in a cool place. Dose 1 or 2 dessertspoons twice daily.

Drying nettle leaves

Cut the whole nettle stems making sure there are no flowers or seeds forming. Lay the stems flat on newspapers or hang up in bundles. Cover to keep out the light and leave to dry in a warm, airy place for several weeks until the leaves are brittle to the touch. NB dried nettle leaves still sting. If you hang the stems inside a paper bag, write on the bag what it holds. Once the leaves are dry, cut them off the stalks and place in a glass jar. Seal the jar, label and date and store in a cool dark place. Place the jar inside a paper bag if light is a problem. Use for teas, soups or as a vegetable. Dried nettles can also be scrunched/chopped up into fine particles and used as a topping on spaghetti bolognaise or over pizza.

My favourite way of eating nettles is in soup. I particularly enjoy the combination of nettle with sweet potato and cardamom as you will see from the following recipes.

Nettle and Potato Soup

Gather a basketful of fresh young nettle tops

1 lb potatoes,

1 onion,

1oz butter,

water, salt, pepper, a few sprigs of parsley and thyme.

Wash nettles under the tap to remove any insects, cobwebs, dust or other debris and shake to remove excess moisture. Peel and chop the onion and sauté in butter or oil in a hot saucepan for five minutes until soft. Peel and quarter the potatoes and add to the pan. Cover with water and add nettles, herbs and seasoning. Cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Liquidise. Serve with bread and butter.

Nettle and Sweet Potato Soup

A colander full of washed nettle tops or several handfuls of dried nettle leaves,

2 large sweet potatoes,

1 onion,

2 leeks,

8 cardomon seeds,

6 carrots (scraped),

4 garlic cloves

Peel and chop garlic cloves and onion. Wash and slice leeks. Saute these in hot butter for 5 minutes until soft. Add peeled and chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, nettles, cardamom pods to saucepan and season to taste. Cover with boiling water and cook until everything is soft. (about 20minutes) Liquidise.

Nettle and carrot soup 

1 onion (peeled, diced and sweated in a tablespoon of vegetable oil)
8 carrots (scraped and chopped)
3 parsnips (peeled and chopped)
1 colander full of young nettle tops (washed)
zest and juice of 1 orange
parsley
Cover all the ingredients with water and simmer for about 20 minutes after bringing to the boil. Liquidise and season to taste. Serve hot with wholemeal or granary bread. 

Root and nettle soup 

1 dozen tiny beetroot peeled

Beetroot tops

½ celeriac root, peeled and chopped

1 basket full of young nettle tops (washed)

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 dried chilli (chopped and seeds removed)

2 large carrots peeled and chopped

10 green cardamom pods

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tblsps crème fraiche (optional)

Sweat the onions in a mixture of olive oil and butter together with the spices for 5 minutes covered until soft. Add chopped vegetables and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes. Add nettles and seasoning and simmer for a further ten minutes until everything is soft. Remove the cardamom seeds from the top of the soup. Liquidise then pass through a sieve to remove any nettle fibres. Add crème fraiche to give a richer soup if desired. Serve with fresh, homemade bread. 

Nettle, beetroot leaf and sweet potato soup 

½ colander full of fresh nettle tops
Leaves from 4 beetroot
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
10 cardamom seeds
1 onion, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves peeled, sliced and left to rest for 15 minutes
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash and shred beetroot leaves, wash nettles. Fry onion and garlic in olive oil, add cardamom seeds, add all other ingredients and cover with cold water. Add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer until everything is soft. Remove cardamom seeds. Liquidise then strain to remove stalks from nettles. Return to pan and serve with freshly made granary bread and butter. Serves 6. 

Spiced Tomato and Nettle Soup 

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 lbs of fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 carrot, scraped and sliced
4 sticks of celery, washed and sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 large handfuls of dried nettle leaves or one basketful of fresh nettle leaves removed from their stalks
1/2oz butter plus 1 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp sugar
Bouquet garni of herbs – thyme, winter savory, basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the butter and olive oil together, then sweat the onion and chilli until soft. Add the vegetables, herbs, sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper and cover with water or stock. Bring to the boil, simmering for forty minutes. Add nettles and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Liquidise. Sieve to remove skins, seeds etc. Reheat and serve with fresh bread.

This is a very tasty and nutritious soup with real heat which doesn’t impede the flavour. 

Nettle and sorrel soup 

4/5 pints rich chicken stock made by boiling a chicken carcass for 4 hours with 2 tablespoons winter savory vinegar, 2 dried bay leaves, 5 peppercorns, a sliced onion and 3 sticks sliced celery. When using stock, discard herbs and chicken bones but retain vegetables for the soup.

½ basket of nettle leaves removed from their stalks

2 large handfuls of fresh sorrel

2 peeled and sliced carrots and potatoes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add fresh ingredients to the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are just soft. Blend, check seasoning and serve with fresh bread topped with pesto! 

Nettle and Tuna Pasta 

This is a quick and easy recipe for one person and can be easily expanded to feed a family.

285g tin of tuna in brine,

fresh basil,
2 handfuls of dried nettles,

2 tomatoes,

1 onion,

cooking oil or butter,

3oz of pasta.

(You can add any other vegetables e.g. one sweet potato, small tin of sweetcorn depending on how hungry you are.)

Peel and chop onion finely and sautee in hot butter or sunflower/vegetable/olive oil in a saucepan until soft. Drain tuna. Wash and slice tomatoes. Add both to onion and cook gently. Add dried nettles and fresh basil. Cover and simmer until pasta is ready. Check regularly and add extra liquid if necessary. Cook pasta in separate saucepan in boiling salted water for 15 minutes. (If you are cooking other vegetables these can be cooked with the pasta.) Drain pasta and serve with tuna/nettle sauce.

Nettle pesto with almonds 

1 large garlic mustard plant (about 2 large handful of leaves, discard the thickest stems)
2 large handfuls of nettle tops (use gloves)
2oz almond pieces (I didn’t have any pine nuts)
4oz grated parmesan
4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
Blanch the nettles and garlic mustard leaves in boiling water then strain into a colander and run cold water over it. Place the blanched nettles and garlic mustard in a liquidiser with the grated parmesan and sliced almonds. Add enough olive oil to enable the liquidiser to work. When everything is a paste, drizzle in the rest of the olive oil and spoon into clean glass jars and store in the fridge.

Nettle and garlic mustard pesto 

4oz pine nuts
4 oz grated parmesan cheese
2 crushed garlic cloves
Leaves and flowers from six garlic mustard plants
Enough nettle leaves to fill a 1 pint saucepan
8 fl oz extra virgin olive oil.
A handful of fresh basil leaves
Blanch nettles and garlic mustard leaves for one minute in boiling water. Drain. Transfer leaves, pine nuts, cheese and garlic cloves to liquidiser and keep adding olive oil until the mixture blends easily. The original recipe calls for about 4 oz of olive oil, but my leaves were in such a compact block, I had to use loads of oil. This made 2 jars of pesto and tastes really good.

Loba’s nettle yoghurt dip 

2 handfuls of nettle tops
2 heaped tblsps natural yoghurt
1 tblsp chopped chives
6 sprigs applemint

Juice of half a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the nettle tops until soft. Strain. Add yoghurt and liquidise/blend. Chop up chives with a pair of scissors and mint in a coffee grinder. Mix everything together and use as a dipping sauce for bread, vegetables etc. It has a wonderfully fresh flavour and is very moreish!

Nettle Syrup

This is my version of an old Northumberland recipe from Farmhouse Fare, country recipes collected by The Farmers Weekly (Countrywise Books 1935)

‘Gather the tops of young nettles, wash well. To every 1lb nettles add 1pt of cold water until all juice is extracted, then strain. To this liquid add ¾ lb white sugar and petals of seven red roses. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Strain free of petals and boil until syrup thickens, when it will be a rich red colour. Pour into clean, dry, warmed jars and seal very securely. To make a good drink, put a teaspoonful into a milk beaker and dissolve it in a tablespoonful of boiling water. When cold, fill up with milk. This is an excellent cure for sore throats and is also a splendid pick me up.’

If you are using fresh nettles and roses together, you will need to prepare in May by cutting back an identified nettle patch to produce fresh growth in June/July when your red or pink deeply scented roses start to bloom.

Gather a large amount of fresh nettle tops and wash well. Either place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for twenty minutes then turn the heat off and leave overnight or place the nettles in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight in a cool place. The next morning, strain the nettles and add the petals of seven red roses to the liquid in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Strain and measure the volume of remaining liquid. For each pint of liquid add 1lb of sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon, bring back to the boil and simmer until the syrup is reduced to the desired consistency. Pour into heated, sterilised bottles. Seal, label and date. Store in a cool place. Keep refrigerated once opened. Use to make a milkshake with cold milk.

Nettle cough syrup

2 parts fresh or dried nettles

2 parts fresh or dried marshmallow leaves

I part fresh or dried evening primrose flowers

4 fresh red roses or 1 large handful of dried rose petals

Cover everything with around 3 pints of cold water in a bowl. Leave to macerate overnight. The next morning, pour all the contents of the bowl into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for twenty minutes then strain.  Wash out the saucepan then replace the liquid and slowly evaporate on a low heat to until it measures two pints.  Add 2lbs of sugar  or honey and bring it slowly up to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has been absorbed. Pour the syrup into sterilised bottles, and leave to cool. Label and date. Store in a cool place. Keep refrigerated once opened.