Nettle soup time!!!

[MikeWilkinson]

Being that it is the best time of year for picking young nettles for eating, thought I'd provide a couple of my favourite recipies, one for at home and the other for on the trail.

Mikes Home cooked Nettle Soup.

Two large handfuls of Fresh spring Nettle tops
Small handful of hairy bittercress
Onion
Garlic
Vegeatble Stock
Small handful Rice
Creme fraiche or sour cream

Fry off diced onion and garlic in butter till soft. Add Vegetable stock and rice - cook until rice is really soft. Throw in Nettles and Bittercress, cook for another five mins.
Blend until smooth, serve with a large dollop of creme fraiche and crusty bread!

Add some nice bacon lardons, fried off with the garlic at the start and then removed to top off at the end for a nice bacon and nettle soup.

Trail version:

handful of Ramsons or Jack by the hedge or both!
Two handfuls of nettle tops
small handful of Hairy bitter cress and/or wood sorrel
small handfulRice
Water

Bring water to boil and add rice, cook until rice is nice and soft - near falling apart.
Whilst rice cooks, quickly sear nettles over fire to remove sting.
Finely shred/chop all leaves.
Add to rice, simmer for another 3-5mins, mash up with improvised masher/back of spoon.
Serve with a nice warm bannock laced with ramsons or jack by the hedge.

As above, add lardons made from your favourite small furry game for a nice rabbit/squirrel and nettle soup. MMMMMmmmmm

Enjoy!

[Martin]

Thanks Mike, they sound delicious. A really good reason to let the garden go wild. :)

Martin

[J_P]

i love nettle soup and tea nice one bud

[Celt_Ginger]

Sounds good.

[luresalive]

some good recipes and well worth trying, thanks.

[MikeWilkinson]

Yeah Martin, It is amazing how many weeds are really good eating, Fat hen, Bittercress, Dandelion, Nettle.

[Adam Savage]

Just got myself a £7 kettle from tesco that's ideal for nettle tea. It has a removable diffuser to convert it into a teapot which the chopped nettle tops can sit in to steep.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-0128.aspx

[Realbark]

Im gonna try that one Mike - is bittercress watercress or something else?

Crazysaint - the kettle diffuser seems a good idea - have you done a boil yet? And as for buying, was it on the highstreet store?

[Adam Savage]

Im gonna try that one Mike - is bittercress watercress or something else?

Crazysaint - the kettle diffuser seems a good idea - have you done a boil yet? And as for buying, was it on the highstreet store?

I haven't had chance to try it yet but will do soon. Had a drive to the local Tesco store (the larger sort with all the household stuff and clothes in) and they had a whole heap of them in, plus a few other camping related items, sadly most of the stuff was usual supermarket quality, like the self inflating mats that fold into the size of a large suitcase lol

[MikeWilkinson]

Yeah RB, hairy bittercress is similar in flavour to watercress, you will have seen it loads probably and never even realised.

http://http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/hairybitcres2.JPG

[Adam Savage]

Im gonna try that one Mike - is bittercress watercress or something else?

Crazysaint - the kettle diffuser seems a good idea - have you done a boil yet? And as for buying, was it on the highstreet store?

nearly forgot (sorry for the thread jacking) I brewed up some nettle tea while I was down Dartmoor at the weekend. works a treat and tastes great

[MikeWilkinson]

thread jacking - nonsense - we're all talking nettles here.

[Adam Savage]

thread jacking - nonsense - we're all talking nettles here.

That's very kind of you.

[Martin]

Is this going to promote a 'rash' of nettle recipes? :rolleyes:

Martin

[Adam Savage]

Is this going to promote a 'rash' of nettle recipes? :rolleyes:

Martin

:happy-clapping:

[Jeime_outdoors]

YES! i love nettle soup :D

Jeime.

[bigzee]

Ooh good! some nettle expertise shared. Having only tried nettle tea once before some years ago, and remembering it to be quite nice, I tried brewing some up in my s/s cup last week on a woodland lunchstop. Picked some young top leaves and put into the water as it boiled. After I decided it was suitably green enough - I fished out the leaves and noticed a few small specks floating round in the drink. After I pulled them out I realized they were aphids!!! EEAARRGHH!! That kinda put me off the idea of a refreshing brew. Aphid consomme' - no thanks!!

[Tony1948]

I would of thought the aphids would sweeten it up a bit they poo a sweet stuff MMMMM nice.

[bigzee]

I would of thought the aphids would sweeten it up a bit they poo a sweet stuff MMMMM nice.
Exactly how many types of animals faeces do you have to trawl through at mealtimes to arrive at that knowledge?

[Adam Savage]

Tried some nettle soup the other day, made by a good friend of mine, and it tasted fantastic. Them there nettles be a good crop this year.

[Metal mug]

You need:

Yourself and a friend.
Nettles



Say to a friend that you could make some nettle soup as long as they supply some of the ingredients.

Boil some water in a pot, add nettles. Now this is where the friend is helpful.

They add bacon, and a gammon joint,beef,potatoes,onions,lamb,carrots,a couple of whole chickens,sausage,duck,rabbit,steak,eggs,beef wellington,turkey,goose,squirrel,pigeon,cabbage,mo re steak,prawns,lobster,mussels,some beer (save a bit for yourself), cod,bass,salmon,bread,champagne,boar,and a sprig of rosemary.

Simmer for a few minutes.

Serve. :D

[Kieran]

Thanks Mike, they sound delicious. A really good reason to let the garden go wild. :)

Martin

might have to do this!

[Kieran]

might have to do this!

I'll be down the woods later! There is lots and lots of nettles down there!!!