The stinging nettle has its growing season between April and October. In winter it can only be found in exceptional cases in warmer periods. You can freeze it so that you do not have to do without this plant, which is known as a medicinal plant, in winter.

Nettles should be crushed before freezing

What is the best way to freeze stinging nettles

Before that, the right and timely harvest is crucial. The best time to harvest nettles is between April and June. This is when the plants are at their strongest and their leaves are the least fibrous. The flowering period begins in July and the leaves lose their energy.

Clean and chop after harvest

Anyone who is afraid of the stinging hairs of the nettle should be told: After freezing and when thawing again, the effectiveness of the stinging hairs is gone. At the latest during the cooking process, you can no longer 'burn' yourself on them.

First, the nettles should be cleaned. Then they are roughly crushed. If you plan to use it later to make spinach or smoothies, you can leave the stalks as they are. Otherwise, it is advisable to pluck the leaves from the stems and freeze only the leaves.

Pack into containers and freeze

After crushing, it goes into a suitable container. Not only conventional freezer bags are suitable for freezing. Closable plastic containers or ice cube trays are also suitable choices. If you decide to use ice cube trays, first fill in the crushed nettles and then add water. The stinging nettles can later be better portioned in ice cube trays.

Uses for frozen nettles

Defrosting the frozen nettles and then eating them pure is certainly less of a taste explosion. In addition, the consistency and appearance of the leaves have suffered from the freezing process. However, there are a few uses:

  • for spinach
  • for smoothies
  • for soups
  • for vegetable casseroles

Better to dry stinging nettles

It is difficult to make a tea with frozen stinging nettles. They are also not suitable as herbal powders in this state. Anyone planning such things should dry the nettles rather than freeze them. To do this, they are hung up in bundles in a shady place or placed on a grid.

tips

After harvesting, don't wait long to freeze the nettles! Flavors evaporate and the loss of vitamin C increases rapidly.

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Category:

Herbs