How to Make Stinging Nettle Infusion

 

Step 1: Boil water and fill a good canning quality mason jar slightly less than 1/4 full with dried Stinging Nettle leaf and stem. I measure it visually, but if you were to weigh it out, you would use approximately 1-1.5 oz. by weight or a little over one cup by volume.

Step 2: Add the boiling water, cap and let it sit at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Step 3: Strain out the plant material with a large strainer. Squeeze out any remaining water and keep all the liquid. Discard the plant material in the garden or compost pile. Susun Weed always told me "don't throw away any plant that you wish to heal you," and besides, I've been putting my leftover material from all the infusions I do around this one plant (hydrangea) for years, and it is so incredibly healthy every summer with so many beautiful flowers! Don't put it under Rosemary though. Rosemary dislikes damp roots very much!

Step 4: Take a smaller filter (strainer) and catch any large bits of plant material still in the liquid. You want the liquid to be relatively free of sediment though it will never be entirely clear, but you can almost never strain nettle enough!

Step 5: Refrigerate and enjoy cold. It will keep for a few days at most. You can drink Nettle quite often; you can't drink too much though your body will likely tell you when you've had enough for now. Then drink some other infusion like Red Clover, Oatstraw, Linden Flower, etc.