Nettle not in my kettle
mentally depleted for two weeks now. i'm not sure what the root cause is, but i think it's just bad energy emanating from a broken heart. i'm not sure if i lost a potential earthmate, or if he just wasn't one at all. i'm trying to get my mind to lean towards the latter. i am trying to meditate to clear my mind and get some mental renewal but it's hard. i wake up and immediately have the need to be at the farm and do work. it's great for the body and mind anyways; it gets my mind off things. also, i have to mention that i've been feeling very antsy lately. my mind is going haywire.
so, herb drying update: not going so well. in my haste to want to create an herbal infusion, i've dried the nettles wrong. that is, i dried them with soil still attached to the roots. as a result, the soil drys along with the dried herbs and gets into the nooks and crannies of the leaves. then, you have no choice but to rinse them while risking the dried herbs cracking and falling apart from the weight of the water. anyways, i'm going to re-pick the nettles tomorrow (this time without the roots) and re-dry them. hopefully, second time's the charm. also, instead of laying them down flat to dry, i'm going to hang them upside down. again, i wish i'd rather just do all this in a dehydrator, but i'll have to make do with what i have for now.
some things that have been going on lately that i haven't had the energy to write about (yet):
so, herb drying update: not going so well. in my haste to want to create an herbal infusion, i've dried the nettles wrong. that is, i dried them with soil still attached to the roots. as a result, the soil drys along with the dried herbs and gets into the nooks and crannies of the leaves. then, you have no choice but to rinse them while risking the dried herbs cracking and falling apart from the weight of the water. anyways, i'm going to re-pick the nettles tomorrow (this time without the roots) and re-dry them. hopefully, second time's the charm. also, instead of laying them down flat to dry, i'm going to hang them upside down. again, i wish i'd rather just do all this in a dehydrator, but i'll have to make do with what i have for now.
some things that have been going on lately that i haven't had the energy to write about (yet):
- turkey slaughter at the farm
- reviving the tri-city urban farm and community garden
- cooking the bountiful harvests from the farm, for which i'll be posting the recipes soon.
there are about five days until spring classes start, so i have to be diligent with my time and projects!!
health&happiness,
c.
p.s. today marks a year since i've turned vegetarian! here is to health and sustainable eating!
p.s. today marks a year since i've turned vegetarian! here is to health and sustainable eating!
If you want nettle leaves for later, you want to leave the roots in the ground and cut the parts of the plant for drying, only. Personally I carry a basket and scissors, snipping the leaves themselves, only. This way the plant will regrow again and again, and you will be allowing it to spread in the earth, too, since the root system is left intact. Even if you want the roots, generally one dries the leaves and the roots separately. Also, you don't need a dehydrator. You can take thin wood strips and make a rectangular frame, and staple old window screen to the frame. Keep the frames in a place like a rack where air can flow freely on both sides of the screen. Do it in a dry, dark spot and you'll have a ton of wonderful nettle leaves to enjoy all season long.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to go a step further, make another rectangular frame but instead of window screen use hardware cloth, which is like screen but with a wider square pattern. Take your dried leaves and a few handfuls at a time, rub them through the screen, over a large bowl. This 'garbling' process will break the leaves into handy little pieces that fit densely into jars for future use.
Enjoy one of the earth's most nutritious greens! It's my favorite!
Peace,
_S
www.stevenkraft.com/mrkraftdoeslife
Thanks for the suggestion! I thought perhaps dried leaves were my only option in creating infusions, so I'll definitely experiment with fresh leaves too. I had considered making the frame some time ago, but frankly I am too lazy and I'm trying to find ways to dry the herbs without spending money (though I believe wood scraps and a screen wouldn't cost much)... I think I'll consider making one now though for future herbal use (it would come in handy definitely and make the process easier). Thanks for the advice!
ReplyDeletec.