Nettle fruits: 4 recipes for your well-being

You will come across the healthy herb in many places in Puch

by Silja / 09. September 2021 / Culinary World / Nature

Do you like to eat nettles?

Now is the perfect time to collect the nettle fruits. In this post I have summarized the most important things about the nettle for you and put together some recipes with nettle fruits.

Where do we find the nettle?

Along the Salzach and the floodplains, often in the company of the elder, on fences, house corners, in gardens and everywhere where the soil is rich in nutrients, we find nettles. Most of the time we become aware of them at the latest when our feet start to itch from the contact of the "stinging hairs".

The herb perks up tired spirits and is a folk medicine for improving blood

The well-fortified herb is particularly rich in vitamin C and iron. It is therefore perfect for a spring cure as well as for anemia and iron deficiency, because the vitamin C improves iron absorption. When taking iron supplements, it is therefore recommended that you take vitamin C at the same time. In the stinging nettle, both are practically already present as a complex. The chlorophyll, which is abundantly contained in the young shoots, is also particularly beneficial for healthy blood, because it is very similar to our red blood pigment hemoglobin and improves the transport of oxygen.

In spring, the young shoots are therefore boldly pinched off with strong pressure between thumb and forefinger in order to prepare tea or to squeeze out the juice for an invigorating fresh plant juice regimen. For this purpose, the leaves are crushed in a blender with a little water and pressed through a cloth. However, this should not be done in the case of high blood pressure, histamine intolerance or cardiac or renal insufficiency.

TIP: The shoots can be pinched off again and again well into summer and dried for tea or used in the kitchen. They are constantly growing back.

Why the nettle burns and how to get around it

The stinging nettle has a liquid stored in its stinging hairs, which look like small, glass spines under the microscope, which consists of histamine, formic acid and acetylcholine, among other things. When touched, they break open, releasing the burning liquid, which can be painful and lead to temporary redness and rashes. However, this only happens if you stroke the nettle against the grain. On the other hand, if you stroke from the bottom up, the hairs won"t break. Pressure, e.g. strong gripping with your fingers or rolling with a rolling pin, will render the stinging hairs harmless and the "nettles" no longer.

TIP: The leaves are wonderfully milled or blanched and drained as a substitute for spinach, as well as for salads and smoothies. The leaves retain their beautiful color if they are briefly quenched in egg water immediately after blanching. The stinging hairs are also rendered harmless in the mixer.

In late summer and early autumn it is time for the nettle fruits

From September to October we can wonderfully strip and collect the nettle fruits. The small nuts are formed by the female plants after flowering. Nettle flowers are inconspicuous. The females shimmer whitish, the males sit on separate plants and wither after they have pollinated the female flowers with the wind.

The nettle fruits, colloquially known as "nettle seeds", have it all and are considered a fountain of youth, they contain vitamins A, C and E as well as cell-protecting carotenoids and a particularly high proportion of linoleic acid, which ensures radiant skin and shiny hair. So it"s no wonder that horse traders of old horses should have mixed the fruit with the feed back then so that they could still sell them as profitably as possible. Incidentally, the consumption of the fruit is said to have been prohibited in monasteries. All too much vitality, which, according to the story, should also have an effect on masculinity, was not in demand here.

TIP: If you feel like it, you can take a small paper bag with you for a walk and collect the fruit. For example, they can be sprinkled on bread, salads and soups or on muesli. 1 teaspoon daily for 3 weeks is a good strengthening regimen. Chew well or break open a little beforehand with a mortar or mixer.

4 nettle fruit recipes to try out

Have you felt like eating nettle fruits and don"t know how to prepare them? Then I have 4 simple recipes for you to try out here. You can take the healthy and invigorating Latwerge as a cure or enjoy it with muesli, yoghurt, pastries and much more. In general, the small nettle fruits are extremely versatile, just let your imagination run wild. In addition to the recipes presented, you can bake them in bread and pastries or use them as an ingredient for energy balls.

1. Strengthening cure - nettle fruit latwerge

Ingredients: 25 g. dried nettle fruits | 100 g natural blossom honey | 1 tbsp lemon juice

This is how it works: Briefly mix the nettle fruits at high speed in the mixer and pulverize them. Then mix the powdered nettle fruits, honey and lemon juice together until they are homogeneously mixed. Then pour into a sealable glass.

Shelf life: Always make small portions and consume quickly.

Use: Take 1 teaspoon every day for a maximum of 3 weeks. You can also stir the mixture into the yogurt or muesli.

Do you know Latwerge? Latwerge originally referred to a pulpy medicine. It comes from the Latin ēlect (u) ārium, which in turn comes from the Greek word ἐκλεικτόν ekleiktón. It means something like "soft medicine" or "lick", literally: "what is licked up". It is often a mixture of powders and soft or liquid components, such as honey, syrup or puree.

2. Nettle fruit and spice mix "Oriental Style"

based on "Zatar"

Ingredients: 50 g white sesame seeds | 25 g nettle fruits | 10 g dried thyme | 10 g dried oregano | 5 g rock salt

This is how it works: Roast the sesame seeds and mix with the remaining ingredients in a high-performance mixer (alternatively food processor or mortar) on the lowest setting for a very short time. Pour the mass into a glass and store in a dark and dry place.

Shelf life: at least 1 year.

Application: For sprinkling feta, cream cheese, tomatoes, soups, oven dishes or as a spice for bread. Also delicious: Dip bread in olive oil and sprinkle with the mixture.

3. Hot breakfast with nettle fruits | Blackberry hazelnut nettle porridge

Ingredients for 2 servings

This is how it works: Briefly toast the oat flakes in a saucepan until it smells fragrant. Add water and milk and stir with an upturned wooden spoon for about 15 minutes. If the mass becomes too dry, add liquid to taste, if necessary, until the desired consistency is achieved. Sweeten with honey if you like and finally stir in ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

This is how it works: In the meantime, poke the hazelnuts in a mortar, roast them in a pan and set aside. Roast the nettle fruits without mortar as well. If necessary, mix the blackberry jam with 1 tbsp warm water for a more fluid consistency and add a little grated tonka bean if desired. Finally, divide the warm porridge between two deep plates or bowls and serve with blackberry jam, blackberries and roasted hazelnuts and nettle fruits.

4. Nettle jelly with nettle fruits

Goes well with cheese

Ingredients for approx. 8 glasses of 200 ml: 1 liter of water | 1 kg sugar, I like to use organic beet sugar | 5 handfuls of nettle shoots | 2 lemons | approx. 6-8 teaspoons of nettle fruits, depending on taste

This is how it works: Chop stinging nettle shoots with a sharp knife and cut 1 lemon into fine slices. Put the nettle and lemon wedges in a hot-washed 2 liter glass or in a large bowl. Bring 1 liter of water to the boil, add 1 kg of sugar and simmer while stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the hot sugar solution over the nettles and lemon wedges and stir with a clean spoon.

Cover the mixture with a clean dish hanger and let it stand for 48 hours. Stir in between with a clean spoon. Nettle and lemons should be covered with liquid. After the draw-out time has elapsed, strain and measure the amount of liquid.

With a gelling agent of your choice - I like to use Biovegan Konfitura - gelatinize according to the instructions on the package and finally rub the nettle fruits through a fine sieve and stir in evenly, then pour into glasses while hot and let them cool on the head.

Have you already collected nettles in Puch?

Where are your favorite collection points and what do you like to do with the nettles? There are nettles almost everywhere, especially unfortunately in places where people pee. Many grow along the Salzach in Puch Urstein or in the floodplains. It is not ideal at the roadsides because of the traffic, but you will surely find a suitable place where you can pick nettles in Salzburg. I myself prefer the floodplains as well as gardens and farms. If you ask the owners nicely, it is often not a problem to collect items here.

The nettle corner in the garden is not only a medicine cabinet and a source of culinary delights with wild herbs, but also a nursery and a source of food for some caterpillars, which later become beautiful butterflies, for example peacock butterfly, small fox and admiral. If we give the herb a place where it can grow, people and nature benefit.

Please leave us a comment. If you take photos of the recipes that have been cooked, you can link me to Instagram! I am looking forward to the exchange! You can find more recipes with nettles in my Wilde Möhre Blog and in my new wild herb book „Ganz schön wild“.

Have fun trying out the recipes!

Sincerely yours Silja