[happygolucky]

I did have a freezer full of nettles last year but threw them out.....I always want to make some wine or Beer, maybe when we move

[ellied]

Intrigued - I've been pulling nettles up for weeks and giving them to the ponies but never thought of making anything for me from them..

What was the best online source of citric acid?  If Tescos etc don't do it I'm sure the local Co-op won't and I don't know any homebrewing shops in Cupar or Perth?

[happygolucky]

Chemist! although its also  used by heroin users so a note is taken when you buy it, you may have to ask...never bought any but its classed as drug paraphanalia

[HappyHippy]

I bought food grade stuff from ebay Ellie 

[fiestyredhead331]

got my citric acid from Boots, they didn't have any in store so ordered it in for me. Just need to check though when you say the top 4 inches, is that with the flowers or before it flowers?

[HappyHippy]

Just flagging up this recipe since it's most definitely nettle season again 

[sophie_aj]

Looks super. Have to try this. can you describe the taste?

[fiestyredhead331]

thanks for bringing this topic back up, this weather is certainly bringing the nettles up as I found out when i sat on some baby ones the other day 

[Clarebelle]

Yes, well done. I made nettle cordial last year and it went down a storm, I'll definitely be making it again.

It's got a lovely sweet/floral taste, hard to describe.

[Bionic]

Happy hippy, thanks for flagging this up again. I am going to give it a go. Just got to get my citric acid now.

[ellied]

Excellent, I was just looking at all the nettles coming up and thinking I must remember to dig out the recipe and give it a go..

When it says once open keep in fridge and use in 4 weeks is that assuming you've re heated the mix at bottling and pasteurised/sealed the bottles?  Or that they are just heated at the start and left a week, strained and bottled with no further preservation as the recipe implies?  I'd hate to make a load and waste all but the first bottle I keep to try..

[Bionic]

I might put my excess in the freezer. I do that with elderflower cordial and it works well.

[fiestyredhead331]

just to clarify, do you need the flowers at the top or just the leaves?......

[Greenerlife]

just to clarify, do you need the flowers at the top or just the leaves?......

Leaves only (well - that's what I used)

[ellied]

Well my first ever batch is in a jam pan on the kitchen table covered in a teatowel and if it works then it's a miracle cos I wouldn't believe how much I could botch a very simple set of instructions

First, picked nettles, only the top tips, not 4", took more than I thought to make 200g so thought just make one rather than multiples for this time.  But then added a litre of boiling water to the sugar instead of half, so had to double up the sugar and nettles too.

No bother except I only have a 50g packet of citric acid so popped that in and decided to buy more tomorrow and add it late - fingers crossed.

Except I had misread the instructions again and added the nettles to the syrup without reheating the sugar/citric/water mix to 70 degrees, just assumed it would be about that and of course it couldn't be in a huge metal jampan.

So, reheated the mix, haven't a thermometer of kitchen type, it got diverted to hot stone massage a few months ago but then wondered if I was cooking nettles instead of what I was meant to do so switched off at warm and stirred and left well alone.

Gah, how hard can it be!  Will add more citric tomorrow when chemist is open, buthonestly, should I be allowed even a wooden spoon to wield?