One thing that does grow really well here on the farm is nettles. Our moist English Lake District climate and fertile soil seem to make them really shoot up. Some people don’t like nettle plants mainly because they can give a wicked sting to naked flesh. Also there is a perception of them being a bit of a weed.
Well one person’s weed is another person’s treasure I say. I actively encourage them and even feel privileged that them deem my soil fertile enough to grow in!
The nettle plant is famously packed with nutrients, not just abundant in vitamins and minerals like vitamin c and iron but also is packed with phytonutrients. These secondary metabolites of the Urtica dioica (nettle) plant have been linked to all sorts of healing and medicinal properties. Notably it is a natural adaptogen which helps the body cope better with the daily stresses of life.
Also nettle is a well know anti inflammatory agent and often used by hay-fever sufferers due to it’s natural antihistamine properties. There has also been links to staving off male pattern baldness due to its ability to slow the conversion of testosterone in the body.
Here on the farm we pick the leaves in spring when they are freshest. These are dried and packed up as tea. A beautiful green loose leaf tea. Then in the summer once the plant has flowered and set seed we gather the seed. Buckets and buckets of it. Gloves definitely needed. Interestingly the sting of the plant dissapears when it is dried. The seeds are dried, sifted through a stainless steel sieve then packaged up. No chemicals at all are used in their growing.
The seed is the most nutritious part of the nettle plant. Like little nutrient boost balls. They can also be made into tea but are great sprinkled onto salads, into yogurt, on porridge or added to anything really where you need a natural pick me up. They taste kind of crunchy with no particular strong flavour so go with most things. I like to add them to my coffee beans when making a brew to give me super nutrient packed cup of coffee.
I really love this product as it’s something I use myself every single day. I sell the seed in 40g packs available in my shop just here on this website.
Mark