Harvest nettle seeds now in September and preserve healthy winter supplies

Nettle is not only one of the most famous wild plants, but also provides a real package of nutrients: its seeds. But many people don’t know what exactly is the right time to harvest. In this article we will show you the most important stages of the maturation of nettle seeds, how to understand when they are ready for harvesting and how to collect and use them best. Our advice: If you want to learn more about the topic, you can find it in our book”Nettle – queen of wild plants“(available here) many other possible uses. You can find our book on nettle in our herbalist’s shop on www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de

The leaves of the nettle

The leaves should only be harvested when they are young. This will happen in the spring. Here you can use the top parts of the plant to prepare spinach or a delicious Wild herb salad to use. You can also do it eat raw. In summer and autumn you can also find young plants, as nettles always grow back when you mow them or even new small plants grow. Here you should harvest the top 10-15cm of the plant and make sure the leaves look fresh and healthy.

Stages of maturation of nettle seeds

First of all, you should make sure that you do not harvest male nettle plants. Males have white, spherical pollen. They grow horizontally or even upwards. Although it is possible to harvest them, many prefer to use the female seeds because they are more nutritious and tasty.

Our book on nettles

You can find the stages of maturity and much other information on nettles, its ecosystem and many recipes to imitate in our book on nettles»Nettle – queen of wild plants“(available here). We accompanied the nettle for a year. We got very close: so close that you can find images in the book that you probably haven’t seen anywhere else. We have captured the nettle in all its facets with a very special lens and make these images available to you in the book. You can purchase the book in our herbal medicine shop www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de

Nettle flower

Here you can see a nettle plant in flower. At this stage it is too early to harvest them. Harvesting can begin around mid-July.

Our videos on nettles

We also have many videos about wild herbs on our YouTube channel “Kräuterkeller”. You can the channel Here Sign up for free. There you will also find our video on collecting nettle seeds.

Green seeds

If the first seeds form and are already hanging due to their weight, they can theoretically be harvested. However, they are not fully ripe until they turn slightly brown. Ripe nettle seeds can be found in nature until the end of October. The still green seeds are edible, but are comparable to young, unripe nuts. They don’t taste so delicious and nutty yet.

Discovering wild herbs with children

For us it is important to pass on old and new knowledge about wild herbs and medicinal plants. With our discovery book for children “Ben and Mara discover the world of wild herbs“(available here), we address the younger target group directly and allow parents, grandparents or educators to approach the world of wild herbs directly with their children. The book is divided into three chapters: an illustrated story with Ben and Mara, a child-friendly herbal encyclopedia, and tips and instructions for doing it yourself. The book and discovery cards are available in our Herbal Witches online store at www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de

Brown nettle seeds

As soon as the seeds turn slightly brown, it’s the perfect time to harvest. Now you have to collect them quickly, otherwise they will fall by themselves or with the help of wind or rain. We explain in detail how to best collect and dry the seeds in this video

Distinguish male from female nettles

You can find out how to distinguish male from female nettles in our YouTube video. There we also explain which plant you should collect.

Recipe ideas with nettle

There is no wild herb that reaches our plate more often than nettle. From leaves you can Make a raw saladadd them to the smoothie or dry them to obtain an excellent nettle powder. You can also steam them and add them to a vegetable pan, make nettle spinach or make a delicious herb soup with them. We also have Brennnesselbrot cooked. You can find many recipes with nettle in our book “Nettle – queen of wild plants“(available here).

With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round

In our book “With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round“(available here), we have included the most important native wild plants. The herb book should be an important help for you in every season in collecting, identifying and processing wild herbs. In the book we have only included plants that are found in abundance in our area. You can find it along with many of our other homemade products in our Herbal Witches online store www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de
The book is intended to help you better recognize native wild plants and, in addition to many images created by us, also contains excellent tips for use in the medicine cabinet and witch’s kitchen.

How do I use nettle seeds?

Every day we add the seeds to our muesli. We eat about a large spoonful a day. There is also some nettle powder. This means that we receive wild energy and can benefit from the many nutrients of the wild plant. You can also add the seeds to bread dough, sprinkle them on salads, or lightly roast them and sprinkle them on soups or other appetizers.

Preserving wild herbs

Especially in summer it is particularly important to preserve wild herbs and think about winter. In the new book we show you how which herbs can best be preserved. Because there are definitely differences. You can find out more methods and interesting facts about preserving wild herbs and medicinal plants in our new book “Preserving wild herbs: the best methods and recipes“(available here) can be found in our herbalist’s shop at www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de is available.

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Every day we would like to give little tips on how to use local wild plants and medicinal herbs from the area, because the ancient knowledge of medicinal plants should not be forgotten. It is particularly important for us to be available, because we don’t just write articles anonymously, we want to pass on our knowledge and also be available to answer questions. Our herbal knowledge is available on many different channels. So if you are on one of the platforms, we would be very happy if you subscribe to our channel there! This way you can support our work and reach us more quickly if you have a question for us. By subscribing you support us without paying anything. So, you’d better sign up with us right here: