With medical herbalist Kate Scott
Nettle seeds are our native British adaptogen, so what is an adaptogen exactly?
Well adaptogenic herbs help our bodies adapt to physical and emotional stressors,
bringing us back to equilibrium! Adaptogens help us deal with stress, anxiety & fatigue but most of the herbs which are classed as adaptogens come from far flung places, like Ginseng and Ashwaghanda, which are great but I personally
think that if we can harvest sustainably and locally it's a massive plus
and we can definitely all find and identify nettles!
Autumn is the perfect time to harvest nettle seeds, just collect them and pop them to dry on a tray in a warm dry place so you can use them throughout winter. They can be sprinkled on soups, into stews, even on your porridge, or added to smoothies, I've put two of my favourite recipes below for you :)
Nettle seeds can be quite pokey so it's generally recommended not to take more than a small teaspoon daily!
Nettle Seed Energy Balls
You will need:
100g finely chopped hazelnuts
200g roughly chopped organic dates
2 tablespoons nut butter (any is fine)
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 desert spoon nettle seeds
At least 2 tablespoons of water
Pop all the ingredients into a good blender or food processor and blitz
Spoon into a bowl and roll small balls with your hands and spread out on a plate or baking sheet and put in the fridge overnight
Enjoy!
Nettle Seed and Buckwheat Crackers
You will need:
2 cups of buckwheat flour
A handful of pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons of seasalt and cracked peppercorns
2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
A desert spoon of nettle seeds
1/4 cup of oil
Approx 1/2 a cup of water to form a stiff dough
Optional grated cheese to top
Mix all the dry ingredients together then slowly add the oil, stir, then again slowly add the water mixing until a firm dough is reached
Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out thinly, cut into crackers and pop in a pre-heated (180 degrees ) oven for 10-12 minutes. For a variation you can place a tiny amount of grated cheese on top before baking.
Allow to cool on a rack and serve on their own or with hummus , beetroot is my absolute favourite!
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We always enjoy hearing from you!
Kate x