Crazy Good Wild Mint and Stinging Nettle Tea

foragerchef.co...
Edit: For the best flavor you MUST infuse the nettles and mint in the liquid overnight, or at least for, say, 6 hours or so. Made fresh it will be too mild. I wanted to have serving it fresh as an option to make it inviting for people to make but it's just not anything as strong as an overnight infusion. Make it and you'll see. It's soooo good.
I wrote off nettle tea (and other wild crafted teas) for years as a novelty and I was so wrong. If you haven't tried it, nettle tea made from fresh plants with a few leaves of mint is fantastic and absolutely worth the small effort it takes to prepare. Sweetened with a touch of maple syrup and a few extra mint leaves it makes a killer iced tea that'll make you feel like an elf.
I really love the flavor of boiling fresh plants here, but you can also use dried stinging nettle leaf sold in coops and high end grocery stores too. There's also many types of nettle tea sold online.

[@lorenzo__cooks]

hell yeah. love how fired up you sound in this

[@jimphubar]

It's a tisane, a steeped drink that doesn't contain tea. A heap of lemon balm and a modest amount of fresh sage will go very well with this. I usually sweeten with a little bit of molasses. It's restorative I'm sure.
I've been using nettles for years as an analgesic, not sure whether analgesic is technically correct. I've suffered chronic pain for a very long time and whenever I see them I grab a juicy stem and swipe my lumbar area. It feels like if 'DEEP HEAT®' cared about you.. Lasts for half a day.
Really enjoying your channel Chef.

[@foragerchef4141]

Technically it’s a decoction as it’s boiled. Tisane is an outdated word thats rarely used imo.

[@jimphubar]

​@@foragerchef4141 You're absolutely right with the boiling, I steep mine for a while. I retract.
I had a fine tea supplier once who also pointed out that I was far from à la mode, I think for using that exact term.
I'll be quiet now.

[@kringsja922]

great video, cant wait to try it with spruce tip syrup.
Have a great day :)

[@chickadeeacres3864]

I’d be interested in learning how to make a hair rinse with nettle. We have tons of it here. I’ve made a creamy nettle soup. It certainly has a musky taste.

[@RobynFfrancon]

Thanks for the recipe! I've just given this a go.
Didn't have maple syrup so used honey. I think maple syrup would have been better, i will get some and try again.
It was definitely very nice. I think i need to make it stronger. So I'm going to reduce it a bit and maybe add some more Moroccan mint at the last minute.
Great channel, thanks!

[@foragerchef4141]

It will get stronger as it sits too. You can let it cool completely with the nettles in it, then strain.

[@Humandesignmagyarul]

Thank you ✨

[@HaileyWatson]

... Did he just say "ya I talked to Sam Thayer bout it..." Damn what a name drop in the north american foraging community 😨

[@foragerchef4141]

Sam's a close friend mine. We're actually making this tea for a weekend long retreat we're doing this weekend in N WI.

[@alaskansummertime]

What about the Oxalic acid in older nettle leaves? I couldn't find much about making tea out of older nettles.

[@foragerchef4141]

Just grab the tender-ish tops, they’re best. I don’t often harvest them as old as I demonstrate here for fresh, but for dried you can. I wanted to show multiple ages, mostly to mention that young nettles don’t taste like much and it’s good to get them in late spring or early summer. I can’t speak to oxalate content.

[@user-qo7qt3wq7h]

Hey you need to try to cold infuse overnight. I discovered this like 2 years ago and I remember picking up the forgotten infusion in the morning and it was a fucking banana taste or strawberry. super fruity !!

[@foragerchef4141]

@@user-qo7qt3wq7h Absolutely. Works great and I reference it in the post on my site. Such a good plant.