Tasty Herbalist

Nettle and blackcurrant leaf syrup

I made this syrup last week when it was scorching outside. I wanted something aromatic, refreshing and sparkling and I didn't want to have to go off to the shops. I vaguely followed the recipe from the book "Seaweed and Eat it" but I find it incredibly hard to follow a recipe faithfully.

Bear in mind that because I did not follow the recipe exactly I very much doubt that my version will last long. Although, to be fair, it is finished already so that was never an issue! This makes a small quantity, perfect for a few days but feel free to double it up if you know it will get used.

Nettle and blackcurrant leaf syrup

500g sugar (I used unrefined caster sugar)

250ml boiling water

50g nettle tops

50g young blackcurrant leaves

1. Combine the sugar and boiling water in a reasonable sized pan and bring to the boil. (Try not to stir it if possible but if you have to make it brief. Let it boil rapidly for a few minutes but don't let the sugar solution change colour.

2. Add all the leaves, stir quickly, remove from the heat and put a lid on top. (This stops the aromatic properties of the blackcurrant leaves escaping into the ether)

3. Now, the original recipe says to leave this for 5-7 days and then strain through muslin but I let it cool and then decanted it into a jug, leaves and all, and strained off what I needed. I drank it the same day I made it (mixed with sparkling water) and it was gone in three days...so don't worry too much about leaving it for a week.

I imagine this would also be delicious made with a nettle and mint combo...

(There is actually a much more precise way of making syrup that will ensure that they are preserved for longer. It involves ratios and saturation and such like. I'll cover that in a separate post because once you have the basic ratios and recipe you can use it for most syrups)

Nettles: Harvesting & preparations

Harvesting

In my first year as a herbal student I wrote 1000 words about nettle (as I did about almost all the herbs I studied) and under the 'harvesting' section I have written:

"Young growth can be used in spring and later in the year nettle should be harvested before flowering from June to September. May to June is a good time for harvesting on a fine day in the morning after the dew has dried from the plant. Older nettles should not be harvested as they contain calcium carbonate deposits and can cause mild kidney irritations by increasing the amount of kidney 'gravel'."

Firstly, let us ignore the appallingly structured sentences and general abuse of the English language. Reading back over this it is clear that while I studied I didn't have time to go out and actually harvest nettles. (This is true. I had no time to gather or prepare any herbs or herbal remedies the entire time I was a student...but that is another story for another time.) What I now know is that yes, young growth should be used and older should not (no lie about the calcium carbonate), but  harvesting from a nettle patch regularly will encourage a supply of young tender growth right through into summer. I cut the tops off then, if drying, strip the leaves off and compost the stalk.

What I also now know from experience is ignore those sections in herbals where they tell you to "gather your herbs on a fine day after the dew has dried from the plant". Yes, in an ideal world and climate that is exactly what I would do but come and live in my house for a few weeks and you will see that 'fine' days are few and far between and I have to be content to gather in a downpour. I would rather gather my herbs at their peak than wait a few more days for a dry day and risk them being past it...although at the moment, with a heatwave, it is not a problem.

My only real advice for harvesting nettles is to wear gloves of the thick rubber variety...and wear a long sleeved shirt, and maybe cover your legs... I have a habit of wading through nettles.

Preparations

Fresh

As far as I am concerned the easiest way to use your harvested nettle is as a vegetable in soups, curries, pies, samosas, risotto etc or as a fresh herb tea. Put a good handful of fresh leaves in a teapot, let stand for 10 minutes, strain and drink. Just don't eat it uncooked. Unless you are a masochist of course.

Dried

There are a few ways to dry your nettles: 1)Lie your harvested nettle leaves out on a tray or cloth and leave out for the sun to dry them. As we have already established this is not really an option for me. 2) Lie your leaves out on a tray or cloth and leave in the airing cupboard. 3) Use a dehydrator.

I use option 3 because I can dry large quantities of herbs over a few days and I get a consistent result. 

(I would recommend wearing gloves even when handling dried nettle as I have had skin reactions in the past...plus, it's more hygienic if you plan to share your dried stash.)

Juiced

The whole plant, stalk and all, can be put through the juicer. A centrifugal juicer just does not cut it I'm afraid. I use a great big heavy duty grinding juicer although the little hand cranked juicers will also work. It is surprisingly bland as a juice but good mixed in with other fruits or vegetable juice. It has a tendancy to make everything murky brown though...not pleasing to the eye.

Frozen

Yep. That's an icecube bag. Use a funnel to pour your fresh juice into the bag and then freeze. Do it all as quickly as you can and you'll lose very little nutrients.

Vinegar

Use fresh or dried nettles and cram as many into a jar as possible. Cover with as much organic cider vinegar as humanly possible. That is as technical as I get. Leave it somewhere to infuse. Mine is currently sitting in the greenhouse , because it seemed as good a place as any, but I'll move it somewhere cool and dark this evening.

Cordial

Drinking it as I type and very refreshing it is too. I'll post about this one seperately...it deserves it.

Three leaves: Blackberry, blackcurrant and raspberry

While it is sadly not fruit harvesting time yet there are still rich pickings off your fruit bushes and canes and now is the perfect time to pick and dry the leaves of blackberry, blackcurrant and raspberry. This is because they are young and fresh and as they get older they get more bitter...I feel I can relate.

Identification

In case you're not sure what the young plants are like minus their berries I have some photographs which will help me poorly and confusingly illustrate some identifying features of them all.

 Blackberry 

Raspberry

 
So, we have blackberry (stalks and stems covered in jabby hooks which will attach themselves to your skin and never, never let go...perhaps) and  raspberry (woodier upright stem which will not try and shred your hand to pieces). What I am trying to show, quite poorly, is that raspberry leaves are silvery underneath and blackberry leaves are not.

Blackcurrant leaves look completely different...

...and if you rub it gently between your fingers it will smell like, well, blackcurrants. You are unlikely to find blackcurrant bushes while out gallivanting in the hedgerows but you never know your good fortune. Mine grows in my garden and I know its a blackcurrant bush because the label tells me so. Easy!

Uses

Raspberry leaf is probably the best known of all these leaves and the only one commercially available. The others you need to gather yourself but, trust me, it is so worth it and really, while you're at it, you might as well gather and dry the raspberry leaf too. Nothing beats home dried herbs.

So raspberry leaf is used mainly to ease labour pains in childbirth, promote milk flow and ease heavy menstruation but there are some qualities that all of them share.

All of them can  be used internally as a vitamin and mineral rich tonic and an astringent for diarrhoea, sore throats and mouth ulcers. Externally, use them as a strong tea for minor cuts (or simply chew  and spit the mush onto a cut or graze if far from home).

They are all high in tannins, vitamins and minerals...which explains their similar actions. Both blackcurrant and raspberry, if picked when aromatic will give a bit of fruity flavour to your tea.

 Especially blackcurrant...

...blackberry, not so much.

Nettles: Actions & uses

 

I realise I do things backwards by posting about what a herb is good for after posting a recipe or sometimes not mentioning at all what it is good for. 

I guess I feel that sometimes it doesn't matter what it does as it is edible and tasty regardless of whether it is good for you. Of course the added bonus is that it always is.

Nettles are no exception. They taste great used as a vegetable but are also amazingly good for you. They are high in calcium, Iron, zinc, magnesium and vitamin C. Any other vegetable with this combination of nutrients would be labelled a "Superfood" and the price would be instantly inflated. Nettles, on the other-hand, are ridiculously abundant and completely free. Result!

The iron and vitamin C content make an effective combination as iron is better absorbed by the body by the addition of Vitamin C. This makes nettle a good herb for women who get heavy periods or anyone who is mindful of ensuring an iron rich diet.

Nettle should also be thought of by those with hayfever and/or eczema/acne. It has an anti-inflammatory action and appears to have an anti-histamine effect. For best results nettle (often in the form of tea) should be taken a few months before hayfever season starts. A difficult one to remember.

In terms of skin conditions I have found that it works best where the skin is not already very hot and red looking and also where there is an emotional link to a flair up. The skin and the nervous system are formed from the same tissues at the embryonic stage so it is unsurprising that emotional reactions have an effect on the skin surface. 

But that's not all! Nettle also: boosts the immune system, reduces blood sugar levels, can help lower blood pressure, increases milk production (and makes it extra nutritious) and is useful as part of a treatment for gout and rheumatoid arthritis...and this is just the nettle leaves. The roots and seeds also have their own specific uses but that is a story for a different season...