Did you know that nettle seeds are mega healthy? We'll show you why you should collect them and what to look out for when harvesting nettle seeds.
Even though the nettle is still simply a weed for many, it has a lot of positive properties. You can take it as a tea or spinach.
It has a draining and detoxifying effect and contains a lot of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and vitamins A and C.
It serves as food for many caterpillars that specialize in this one plant. If you have a garden, please leave a few nettles in one corner!
If you want, you can also use the seeds. They are little power packets that you can get for free at any time in nature. Mix them are muesli, yogurt, in spreads, in bread dough or sprinkle them over salad.
So that you too can soon benefit from the superfood, we have made ourselves smart for you. We now tell you what you need to pay attention to when harvesting nettle seeds.
Tip: Do you know the book "The "weeds" in my garden"? In it, you'll learn about 21 plants that are mega healthy and are usually labeled as weeds. You can buy the book on Amazon.
By the way, who wonders what the seeds of nettle taste like: slightly nutty.
Table of contents
What you need to know before collecting nettle seeds
Before we get right into it, I'd like to give you two tips along the way.
Protect yourself from wheals
The plant can prick properly and leave wheals on the skin. At first they burn, later they itch. That's why you need to equip yourself properly before you go to harvest nettle seeds.
The culprit is the stinging hairs that protect the plant from enemies with silica. The painful hairs are found on the underside of the leaves and the stems.
To avoid burning yourself on the plant, long pants, long-sleeved shirt and gloves are a good tip. Only in this way can the stinging hairs not reach you and you are well protected.
But do not worry poisonous or even dangerous, the plants are not. It just itches and burns. But the pain usually passes after a day at the latest.
For osteoarthritis and rheumatism, rubbing with nettles is even used as a home remedy. The active ingredients acetylcholine, serotonin and histamine are said to relieve joint pain.
The collection point
Collect the plants in an uncontaminated place. Preferably in the forest or if you have a garden - at home on the compost heap.
Never leaf wild herbs or plants right next to the road. They are contaminated by exhaust fumes, dog urine and much more. You really don't want to eat that.
I have a forest around the corner from me where I can in June nettles for plant liquid manure collect and later harvest the seeds.
When can you harvest nettle seeds?
After the medicinal plant blooms from July to October, the seeds later develop from the flowers.
From August you can collect the first nettle seeds. They ripen on the stalks until October. The exact start of the season depends on the region, weather and location. If the plants are in a sunny location, you can harvest the first nettle seeds relatively early.
You can collect green nettle seeds or brown ones. The green (unripe) ones are already available from July. Or you can wait until August and grab the brown seeds. Both are edible.
Collecting unripe nettle seeds pays off if you use them right away. The brownish seeds are perfect for drying.
The seeds of the nettle can be found directly under the leaves on the stem. They hang from the plant in panicles like mini grapes.
Tip: Sound too elaborate for you? You can also order the seeds from Amazon or buy in the health food store. Look for wild growth quality!
Once you have collected the seeds, you can use the stems and leaves for use a homemade nettle liquid manure. It is a free and very good fertilizer from nature, which provides strong growth especially for vegetable plants.
Why you should harvest nettle seeds best at noon
It is best to collect the seeds at midday on warm days. Then it is sure that the seeds are dry and do not begin to mold.
I collect the seeds when it has not rained for at least 3 days before harvest. From noon to early afternoon, the seeds accumulate the most ingredients.
How best to harvest the seeds of nettle
Equipped with long clothes, you set out. You have two options: Either you harvest the seeds immediately on the spot or you cut the plants and collect the seeds from the plant at home.
Harvesting at home has the advantage that you get more seeds. Anyone who harvests in the forest knows how annoying mosquitoes can be. I therefore cut the nettles in the forest and harvest the seeds at home.
Here's how you do it:
- Take a large flat cardboard box and line it with paper towels or a kitchen towel.
- Cut the nettles and gently place them in the box. Attention: Do not shake too hard, otherwise the seeds will fall off!
- It is best to hold the cardboard under the nettle when cutting. This way the seeds land on the cloth and not on the ground.
- When you get home, put the plants in a warm place to dry as they are.
Important: Both green and brown seeds should be dried to remove moisture and prevent mold. Usually one day of sunshine is enough to dry the plants and seeds.
Treat yourself to a nettle tea! It's that healthy!
Dry and store seeds
The best way to dry them is in the air. Place the nettle seeds in a warm and dry place, so that plenty of air gets to the seeds. The seeds will then largely dissolve on their own. Depending on the ripeness of the seeds, it may take 1 to days before you can remove them from the plant with gloves.
Knead the panicles and stems with gloves. At the latest now the seeds should fall onto the cloth or kitchen paper. With a sieve you can shake and move the remaining parts of the plant until the last seeds are loosened.
Look very carefully to see if the seeds are really dry. Are there a few green ones? It does not matter. It is quite normal that when harvesting nettle seeds, some are there, because not all seeds are ripe at the same time.
The green seeds take a little longer to dry.
Once they are dry, place them in an airtight jar. To protect the seeds from mold because of their residual moisture, add a few grains of rice to the jar. However, you need to replace the rice every 2-3 months.
Place the jar on a kitchen shelf where the sun can't reach it. They now last for at least a year.
Why harvesting nettle seeds pays off
On the one hand, because of their health benefits and, on the other hand, because of the wide range of uses.
Nettle seed effect
The seeds contain a lot of vitamins A, B and C. Also potassium, iron, calcium, carotenoids and chlorophyll.
- The seeds of nettle have a stimulating effect and help against fatigue and with Concentration problems.
- The vitamins and high protein content are wonderful for a quick and energetic start to the morning.
- Many athletes regularly take nettle seeds as a vegetable protein source to himself.
- The seeds are also given a aphrodisiac effect said. They are said to stimulate blood circulation in the pelvis. In women, they increase estrogen levels. In men, they stimulate sperm production. That is why many monks and nuns in the Middle Ages were not allowed to eat nettles.
What you can use the seeds for
If you take a close look at muesli bars, you may have already discovered that they contain seeds. Because of their high protein content, they end up in many organic muesli bars.
The dry seeds are a healthy addition to very many dishes. They taste nutty. You can either use them whole or pound them with a mortar.
Nettle seeds fit
- in muesli and yogurt
- in doughs (bread or crispbread) and cereal bars
- good in herb salt
- in smoothies
- on the salad
- In spreads
If you like it crispy and want to lure even more flavor from the seeds, you can lightly roast them. Important: Take good care, they burn very quickly and do not use oil!
From nettles you can make your own hair tonic!
Our conclusion
Harvest nettle seeds really pays off. The seeds have very many health benefits and taste especially delicious in muesli and herbal salt.
As with all wild herbs, don't collect unless you're absolutely sure!
Good luck!
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