|
nettles, OT maybe
can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose
any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate |
nettles, OT maybe
Kate Morgan wrote:
can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate Putting them in a microwave would have a similar effect to boiling them. So yes, I would expect a lot of their goodness to be lost by microwaving. |
nettles, OT maybe
http://www.herbsforlife.org.uk/Herba...htm#Collection
some useful information on this site, take a look. "Kate Morgan" wrote in message ... can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate |
nettles, OT maybe
Kate Morgan wrote in message ... can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. Dunno, but around this time of year you can cook 'em as a nice soup: Snip loadsa nettles two or three inches from the tip, so you get the least stringy bits. Fry an onion or two, bung in a potato, add your washed nettle tips in large quantities, chuck some chicken stock on (or water+ chicken oxo cube if no chicken stock). Liquidise. As you serve add a spiral of cream. -- Anton |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words: can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. Drying them in the microwave is favourite, I'd think: you keep the colour better. Don't forget to put a mug of water in to absorb most of the energy, or you'll cook them as well as dry them. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
anton wrote: Kate Morgan wrote in message ... can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. Dunno, but around this time of year you can cook 'em as a nice soup: Snip loadsa nettles two or three inches from the tip, so you get the least stringy bits. Fry an onion or two, bung in a potato, add your washed nettle tips in large quantities, chuck some chicken stock on (or water+ chicken oxo cube if no chicken stock). Liquidise. As you serve add a spiral of cream. -- Anton A bit of bacon is lovely in it too. Anita |
nettles, OT maybe
Kate Morgan wrote in message ... can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. Thanks to all for interest and comments kate |
nettles, OT maybe
"bigboard" wrote in message
... Kate Morgan wrote: can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate Putting them in a microwave would have a similar effect to boiling them. So yes, I would expect a lot of their goodness to be lost by microwaving. I think the problem with boiling is that 'goodness' leeches out into the water which you then throw away. Microwaving should be much better. Martin |
nettles, OT maybe
"Martin Sykes" wrote in message ... "bigboard" wrote in message ... Kate Morgan wrote: can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate Putting them in a microwave would have a similar effect to boiling them. So yes, I would expect a lot of their goodness to be lost by microwaving. I think the problem with boiling is that 'goodness' leeches out into the water which you then throw away. Microwaving should be much better. I use a dehydrator for preserving food. If you don't have one you could dry them in a very low oven with the door slightly left open Ophelia Scotland |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from "Ophelia" contains these words: I use a dehydrator for preserving food. If you don't have one you could dry them in a very low oven with the door slightly left open You can make one by putting calcium chloride crystals in an open (waterproof!) container, and putting that in a sealed receptacle with whatever is to be dehydrated. Lave in a warm place and the calcium chloride will absorb all the moisture. It's not very rapid, so chunky things like meat or nourishing cabbage stalks have to be sliced and laid out so they don't contact each-other in overlap mode. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
In message , anton
writes Dunno, but around this time of year you can cook 'em as a nice soup: [snip] You can also make a very refreshing summer drink from them: Nettle Beer. Nettle Beer Recipe Ingredients 2lb young nettle tops 1 gallon of water 8oz of sugar 0.25oz of fresh yeast small piece of toast 0.25oz of ground ginger Method Boil the nettle tops in the water for half an hour. Strain and add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Also stir in the ginger. Pour mixture into a sterile container. Spread the yeast onto the toast and float on the surface of the nettle liquid. Cover and leave for 3 days. Strain again and put into clean, strong screw top beer bottles. This can be drunk after 48 hours. Taken from: http://www.greenchronicle.com/recipes/nettle_beer.htm This is similar to the recipe my mother used, back in the 50s and 60s, but there are variations. I don't recall the use of so much ginger, and have made it myself with much less. -- David D Stretch: Stoke-on-Trent, UK. For email remove spaces from the following line: d d stretch @ mugwort . demon . co . u k |
nettles, OT maybe
"Martin Sykes" wrote in message ... "bigboard" wrote in message ... Kate Morgan wrote: can anyone tell if drying nettle leaves in the microwave makes them lose any of their goodness as a herb, or are they better left hung up to wilt and dry in their own time. kate Putting them in a microwave would have a similar effect to boiling them. So yes, I would expect a lot of their goodness to be lost by microwaving. I think the problem with boiling is that 'goodness' leeches out into the water which you then throw away. Microwaving should be much better. I use a dehydrator for preserving food. If you don't have one you could dry them in a very low oven with the door slightly left open Ophelia Scotland |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from "Ophelia" contains these words: I use a dehydrator for preserving food. If you don't have one you could dry them in a very low oven with the door slightly left open You can make one by putting calcium chloride crystals in an open (waterproof!) container, and putting that in a sealed receptacle with whatever is to be dehydrated. Lave in a warm place and the calcium chloride will absorb all the moisture. It's not very rapid, so chunky things like meat or nourishing cabbage stalks have to be sliced and laid out so they don't contact each-other in overlap mode. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
In message , anton
writes Dunno, but around this time of year you can cook 'em as a nice soup: [snip] You can also make a very refreshing summer drink from them: Nettle Beer. Nettle Beer Recipe Ingredients 2lb young nettle tops 1 gallon of water 8oz of sugar 0.25oz of fresh yeast small piece of toast 0.25oz of ground ginger Method Boil the nettle tops in the water for half an hour. Strain and add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Also stir in the ginger. Pour mixture into a sterile container. Spread the yeast onto the toast and float on the surface of the nettle liquid. Cover and leave for 3 days. Strain again and put into clean, strong screw top beer bottles. This can be drunk after 48 hours. Taken from: http://www.greenchronicle.com/recipes/nettle_beer.htm This is similar to the recipe my mother used, back in the 50s and 60s, but there are variations. I don't recall the use of so much ginger, and have made it myself with much less. -- David D Stretch: Stoke-on-Trent, UK. For email remove spaces from the following line: d d stretch @ mugwort . demon . co . u k |
nettles, OT maybe
"Anthony E Anson" wrote in message ... The message from "Ophelia" contains these words: I use a dehydrator for preserving food. If you don't have one you could dry them in a very low oven with the door slightly left open You can make one by putting calcium chloride crystals in an open (waterproof!) container, and putting that in a sealed receptacle with whatever is to be dehydrated. Lave in a warm place and the calcium chloride will absorb all the moisture. It's not very rapid, so chunky things like meat or nourishing cabbage stalks have to be sliced and laid out so they don't contact each-other in overlap mode. This worries me a wee bit. If you are dehydrating meat very slowly in a warm enviroment you could end up poisioned. Ophelia |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from "Ophelia" contains these words: It's not very rapid, so chunky things like meat or nourishing cabbage stalks have to be sliced and laid out so they don't contact each-other in overlap mode. This worries me a wee bit. If you are dehydrating meat very slowly in a warm enviroment you could end up poisioned. Which is why the slices have to be thin. Once drying has begun it gets increasigly difficult for bacteria to grow. If the temperature is too cool it dries more slowly and gives them a better chance to get noshing. If you want to try it and are worried, it might be a good idea to start the drying process by exposing them meat in a deep freeze. It doesn't rehydrate well anyway, and I use it - well, used to use it - ground up and added to stews etc. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
"anton" wrote in message ...
Dunno, but around this time of year you can cook 'em as a nice soup: Nettle wine is supposed to be nice |
nettles, OT maybe
"Anthony E Anson" wrote in message ... The message from "Ophelia" contains these words: It's not very rapid, so chunky things like meat or nourishing cabbage stalks have to be sliced and laid out so they don't contact each-other in overlap mode. This worries me a wee bit. If you are dehydrating meat very slowly in a warm enviroment you could end up poisioned. Which is why the slices have to be thin. Once drying has begun it gets increasigly difficult for bacteria to grow. If the temperature is too cool it dries more slowly and gives them a better chance to get noshing. If you want to try it and are worried, it might be a good idea to start the drying process by exposing them meat in a deep freeze. It doesn't rehydrate well anyway, and I use it - well, used to use it - ground up and added to stews etc. Tony I aske about this in the preserving site this is the reply I received Has anyone heard of this before?? Yes. From a former neighbor of mine who characterized it as an expensive and tedious way to spoil meat. O |
nettles, OT maybe
Nettle wine is supposed to be nice My original query was about drying nettles and they are for my old horse to eat as they are good for neddies, but all the good idea`s especially the wine have been great, thank you all kate |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from "Ophelia" contains these words: Has anyone heard of this before?? Yes. From a former neighbor of mine who characterized it as an expensive and tedious way to spoil meat. True, but it depends on what you intend doing with it. I used to take it as emergency rations when hikung in the Highlands, usually in January, and often across very sparsely inhabited areas. Weight was always a consideration, as was carrying high-energy food. Haute cuisine en haute Écosse was a long way down the list. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words: My original query was about drying nettles and they are for my old horse to eat as they are good for neddies, but all the good idea`s especially the wine have been great, thank you all Ah, you should have said. I used to dry lucerne, and there are some things to avoid: I'm presuming that nettles behave in a similar fashion to clovers. Dry the cut nettles as you would make hay, and when they are thoroughly dry - leave them - wait till the leaves absorb enough moisture in the evening before you bag or bale it, or much of the leaf will break up. The Agricultural Research Council (as was) did some interesting research on drying rapidly broad-leaved fodder crops, and a method was devised where you spray lightly the leaves with a dilute solution of potassium carbonate. This is very hygroscopic and draws moisture from the stems, so the leaves don't dry completely until the stems are dehydrated, and the crop can be baled when the leaves are still flaccid. When I had a smallholding I tried it on pea haulm, and the difference in drying time between that and untreated haulm was impressive. Thunder-storm approaching - ta-ta! -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
nettles, OT maybe
Ah, you should have said. I used to dry lucerne, and there are some things to avoid: I'm presuming that nettles behave in a similar fashion to clovers. snip Thank you Tony, interesting reading, hope the thunder storm did not get you :-) kate |
nettles, OT maybe
The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words: Ah, you should have said. I used to dry lucerne, and there are some things to avoid: I'm presuming that nettles behave in a similar fashion to clovers. snip Thank you Tony, interesting reading, hope the thunder storm did not get you :-) Ta. It was useful haveing an old college fiend who was a SEO in the ARC - Anything remotely associated with grassland etc (I had a herd of goats), fruit growing, (Rasps, gooseberries, strawberries, rhubarb, [apples and cherries for my own use] blackberries etc), market garden crops which the goats usually got, and what they didn't, the rabbits did, and a glass-fibre tunnel in which I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes (for me!) strawberries and catch-crops of radishes. I had a VAST folder of interesting data and papers on most of those. Pity it was a rather swish concertina file 'cos it went when I was burgled. The thunder storm flashed, thundered and wetted. They've been bothering me again today, and being high here (for Norfolk) I just unplug everything valuable - including the phone line. -- Tony Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:33 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter