Drying nettles
Drying nettles
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
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Re: Drying nettles
Could you dehydrate them?
Re: Drying nettles
I sadly don't have a dehydrator
- Green Aura
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Re: Drying nettles
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.
Or on a baking sheet in a low oven.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: Drying nettles
Always terrified of using the oven, far too easy to burn a few hours worth of forage
Re: Drying nettles
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
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Re: Drying nettles
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.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
- doofaloofa
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Re: Drying nettles
How many are you talking trog?
ina wrote: die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln
Re: Drying nettles
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
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Re: Drying nettles
So a bin bag full fresh?
ina wrote: die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln
Re: Drying nettles
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
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Re: Drying nettles
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
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
ina wrote: die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln
Re: Drying nettles
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
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