Nettle Infusion

I'm in the process of collecting stinging nettle so that I can dry it and eventually make some herbal infusions to drink as tea.  I'm not sure how long it'll take to dry it since this is my first time, but I'm guessing about a week.  There is so much stinging nettle growing in abundance at the farm I volunteer at.  Because of this, I've decided that the stinging nettle would be my herb of choice to start experimenting with for infusions.  I wish I had a dehydrator for drying the nettle.  It lessens the drying time to just a couple of hours!  I also learned that you can eat nettle raw (stinging hairs and all) if you are gutsy enough to pick it off the stem using a special technique (you carefully fold it like a taco from the underside while pulling it off the stem).  Anyways, I'll update on how my nettle ends up drying (hopefully with success, fingers crossed).

Photo by The Kitchen Gardener

To make an herbal infusion, you basically dry the leaves of your herb of choice, then measure out 1 ounce dried leaves to 1 quart hot water.  You then let it steep for a minimum of 4 hours (or longer) preferably in a pint size glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (mason jars work wonders for this).  After the allotted time to steep, strain out the leaves from the water and you got yourself some nutrient rich tea!  Best with honey or salt to avoid bitterness.  You can get more info on how to make herbal infusions from herbalist, Susan Weed, here.