Nettle soup and Nettle Beer

Nettles aren’t just there for you to get stung by and avoid, they’re nutritious and tasty when prepared in the right way, read on to get you started on the road to some different greens in your diet.


Nettle Soup.

Ingredients:

Oil/fat/butter..
One Onion chopped fine.
One or Two Potatoes peeled and Chopped.
Stock cube to taste.
Two pints of Water.
Four handfuls of nettles.

Put a couple of tablespoons of oil/fat/butter in the bottom of a pan. Add the chopped onion and cook on low for a few minutes to start soften. Add the potatoes and continue cooking on a low for a few more minutes. Add water stock cube and nettles.
Bring up to a boil then simmer for ten minutes. Mince or liquidise. Check seasoning. Serve.

It is improved if a small amount of cream is added at the time of serving.

Nettle Beer.

Ingredients:-
1 Shopping bag full of young nettle tops
2 Lemons
1 Gallon Water (8 pints)
1 lb sugar (brown is better)
1-2 tbsp cream of tartar
Yeast
1 inch cube of root ginger, chopped (optional)
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Wash the nettle tops, (add spices) and bring to the boil in enough of the water to cover. Simmer for 15 mins. This will smell like cabbage and the water will go a greeny/browny/red colour! Take off the heat, remove the nettles, add the lemon juice, cream of tartar and sugar and stir until well dissolved. Add the rest of the water, and when cooled to body temperature, add yeast (about 1/2 a tsp beer yeast - beer yeast will not taste as 'yeasty' when finished).

You now have 2 options.

Either place in a demijohn/fermenting bin, fit an airlock/lid and ferment/rack/bottle like proper beer.

Or put straight into 1/2 litre plastic bottles, leave for 3-5 days to build up pressure and server as a lightly alcoholic fizzy drink, similar to elderflower champagne. you can use bread yeast if you are following this method, but it will have a slightly yeastier taste).

Kimboko