Drying nettles

[Brewtrog]

It's coming to a point where my store of dried nettles has been run down (after 2 years), with needing to replenish that and with the plan of brewing some nettle beer and wine, I'll be needing to dry a fair amount of nettles. Can anyone suggest any decent way to dry them? Tying them into bundles to hang is begging to be stung and when I dried them between newspaper last time a few layers got damp (admittedly they ended up sagging onto the floor), so does anyone have any idiot proof drying methods for this idiot?

[Flo]

Could you dehydrate them?

[Brewtrog]

I sadly don't have a dehydrator

[Green Aura]

I've dried herbs on a net curtain stretched over a wooden frame, placed somewhere that is either warm or gets the sun. It takes longer than a dehydrator but works OK.

Or on a baking sheet in a low oven.

[Brewtrog]

Always terrified of using the oven, far too easy to burn a few hours worth of forage

[Brewtrog]

To be fair, looking at the price of a dehydrator, they're not that bad, although against buying one, I could just pick some dock at the same time, grit my teeth and just hang them off my bed as I do with any other herb

[Green Aura]

You can just use the oven light - or pilot light if gas - it will take longer but will still do the job, as long as you don't forget them and turn the oven on.

[doofaloofa]

How many are you talking trog?

[Brewtrog]

Not too sure doofa, can't remember if the wine and beer ask for fresh or dry. The last time I foraged them there was enough (dry and crushed)to fill, very full, a large Marmite tub. That's probably half an hour's worth of picking.

[doofaloofa]

So a bin bag full fresh?

[Brewtrog]

There or there about, I'm probably looking at filling my 30L pack, depending how long I'm out for and how many nettles are up when I go harvesting.

[doofaloofa]

This is what I'd do

Harvest on a sunny day, after the dew had dried, but before the sun had evaporated any volatile oils

Once home spread out on news paper, in a warm, dry shaded room, well ventilated

Dry this way for a day

The take a stalk and roll in news paper, then, once the stalk was completely covered by the paper, take another, roll it in, repeat till i had several stalks held inside a tube of paper

If I had any saved sachets of silica gel desiccant, left over from packaging, include one with each roll

Stack these rolls of herb in the airing cupboard/hot press

After a fortnight in the airing cupboard they should be nice and dry, with temperamental ingredients preserved, ready for crushing

[Brewtrog]

Sadly don't have a spare room to lay them out in, but the rolling the stems in newspaper idea is definitely on the think on, thanks for the idea

[doofaloofa]

high five!