Nettle is an extremely healthy weed that is often neglected in our diet. In folk medicine, it is used to treat arthritis, relieves the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, lowers blood pressure and sugar. It can be used fresh, but also dried and chopped as an addition to dishes, soups, pies, teas. Nettle juice is one of the most common ways of applying this healthy and medicinal plant.
Ingredients
- 50 young nettle tops
- 2 pieces of lemon
- 3 pieces of orange
- 3 liters of water
- 1.5kg of sugar
- kiwi extract 2 pcs
By using these ingredients, you can get nettle syrup in the amount of a little less than 5 liters.
Preparation
First, harvest nettles from unpolluted areas, from meadows that are far from populated areas. Do not pick nettles near roads and settlements, as they can usually be contaminated with carbon monoxide and other exhaust gases from cars or polluted by the human factor. Such nettle juice can only harm your body. Pick 50 tops of young nettles, because young nettles are softer and it will be easier to extract the necessary nutrients and medicinal substances from them. Harvest the tops from only 5-6 leaves, without seeds near the top and use gloves to protect against unwanted blisters.
Wash the harvested nettle tops in cold water, and in a separate bowl with cold water, add a little baking soda and leave the lemon and orange to stand for at least 1 hour to make sure that you have washed the pesticides that were sprayed on the citrus fruits from the peel.
Mix 1.5 kg of sugar in 3 liters of water, add washed nettle tops and pre-cut lemons and oranges into rings about 1 cm thick. Leave the container covered for 24 hours.
The next day, mash everything well with your hands and strain. Add kiwi or mint extract to obtain a green color and better taste. Pour the nettle juice into bottles and store it in the refrigerator, considering that the juice prepared in this way does not need to be boiled, because a considerable amount of the necessary substances that make the nettle healthy is lost during cooking.
Nettle juice is slightly thinner than syrup and is served by pouring 1/3 of this syrup into a glass and adding cold water.
