Harvesting and Drying Nettles for Tea

I love many things: antiquarian books, crafting, horror films, role-playing games, and tea. Now, let me make one thing clear: I spend too much money on all of these, especially the tea. Wouldn't it make sense to try to save some cash by making my own? Well, that's exactly what I've been up to.

One such tea that I've been experimenting with is Stinging Nettles. It doesn't sound very pleasant, but once you dry the leaves it is a great plant to work with. However, it can be tricky to handle, so here's a guide for anyone interested.

• Make sure you're familiar with this plant before you go out picking anything. Generally you should harvest this plant before it flowers. Put on your favorite pair of gardening gloves, and wear long sleeves. Trust me--they're called stinging nettles for a reason!

 

• Be aware of your surroundings. Know what other plants are around you (such as poison ivy), and be on the lookout for ticks. Also check for camouflaged kitties!

•  Before you begin chopping away at the nettles, give them a quick look-over to check for inhabitants. Chances are you don't want to bring any critters into your home. Grab your scissors. Starting from the top of the plant, cut off about 2 or 3 sets of leaves--4-6 in total.
  
• Keep the leaves in a reusable or plastic bag. Don't take all the leaves from one plant, and don't take from all the plants in one area.  We want these plants to keep growing, and coming back next year.
  
• Once you have a decent amount of leaves (remember that once they are dry, they shrink quite a bit!) bring them inside to prepare them for drying. Fill a large bowl with water, and dump in leaves. Let them sit for about 20 minutes in order to get the dirt off. After that time, let them dry between two towels or paper towels.
  
• When the leaves are mostly dry, you can begin the drying process in earnest. There are many ways to do this. You could put them in a brown paper bag (which takes the longest), or hang them. I chose to simply lay them in a glass dish in the sun. Take care when handling the leaves as they can still sting at this point. It is not until they are dried that they are safe!
  
• About once per day or so, stir the leaves up a little to make sure they are all being dried evenly. After a few days they should be nice and crunchy. You can now handle them without gloves. Crumple them up and keep them in an airtight container.
  
• When you're ready for some tea, put them in an infuser or make your own tea bags. Steep the tea for 5-8 minutes, but no longer than 10. 
  

Nettle tea is great for battling allergies and asthma. It can also be used as a diuretic, and contains naturally-occurring serotonin. Enjoy!