Nettles are a tasty treat at this time of the year, look for young nettles volunteering in the garden or in shady creek beds, they love rich soil and they are the best. The tastiest nettles are the young tops, so snip the central top leaves and let the rest be , the nettles will grow back splendidly.
The list of tools for nettle harvesting are but a few simple items, a bag for your nettles, some small scissors for cutting and some gardening gloves to protect your hands from getting pricked. Their effective stinging deterrent defends a nutritious treat, nettles are extremely rich in vitamins and minerals , providing a pleasant mild green leave flavor. Nettles are not aromatic like basil and if you crave that flavor there is no reason not to add raw basil to the nettles, ideally from your personal herb garden, to make an amazing Nettle Pesto w/ Synergy Tsu Olive Oil Tincture; one full eye dropper maybe two 🙂
Store-bought nettles are expensive and if you don’t have access to wild nettles substitute another leafy green. Dino kale works well and the leaves can either be blanched or used raw, depending on your preference. Other good substitutes are arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, beet greens, parsley or basil. Don’t bother blanching these kinds of delicate greens just wash and then rough chop the raw greens.
Ingredients
2-3 oz hulled hemp seeds, pine nuts, walnuts or other nuts/seeds of your choice.
4-5 oz fresh nettles, leaves and stems, or substitute, kale, arugula, spinach, parsley or a mixture!
2-3oz grated parmesan or cheddar.
½ -1teaspoon of sea salt, less or more to taste
1-3 peeled and rough chopped garlic cloves
30-40 drops of Synergy-Tsu in olive oil
¾ cup of olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the seeds or nuts in a hot skillet for a minute or two, until they are golden brown –
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
- Set aside a large bowl and fill with cold or ice water.
- Once the water boils, place the nettles into the boiling water using tongs or wearing gloves, take care not to sting yourself !
- Blanch the nettles for 1-2 mins, then remove nettles and scoop them into the bowl of cold water. This will preserve the nettles vibrant green color.
- Reserve the water the nettles blanched in – it is full of nutrients so use it to boil your pasta in or keep it to drink like a tea!
- When the nettles have cooled, squeeze the water out by hand, and then roughly cut.
- Combine the nettles with the cheese, garlic, seeds/nuts leaving the oils aside – blend in a food processor, blender or mortar until well mixed and form into a textured paste.
- Slowly stir the oils into the paste until your preferred consistency is reached.
Your Nettle Pesto is ready to eat! Use immediately or refrigerate or freeze!