Stinging nettle - how to process and dry

 

We Grow Stinging Nettle on Our Organic Farm

Stinging nettle is more than an ingredient we write about — it's one of the herbs we grow and work with here at Saarinen Organics.

We harvest our nettle on the farm, carefully process and dry it, and use it in selected herbal preparations and skincare formulations.

That's one of the things that makes our approach different. We don't simply order every herb dried from a supplier — wherever possible, we grow it, harvest it and know exactly where it came from.

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How to Process Stinging Nettle After Harvesting

Stinging nettle (Urtica incisa) is one of the herbs we grow here on our organic farm.

Once harvested, how you handle and dry nettle is important. Good processing helps protect the quality of the plant material and gives you a clean, properly dried herb that can be stored for later use.

In this guide, I'll show you how we process our freshly harvested stinging nettle on the farm — from sorting and cleaning through to drying and storage.

Harvesting Stinging Nettle

Always wear gloves and protective clothing when harvesting stinging nettle — it certainly earns its name!

We harvest our nettle while the plants are healthy and vigorous, using clean cutting tools to cut the plant above ground level.

Once harvested, we take it straight to our processing area to be sorted and prepared for drying. The shorter we can keep the journey from our paddock to processing, the better we can maintain the quality of the freshly harvested herb.

1. Separating the Roots, Stems and Leaves

   Once harvested, sort through the nettle and separate the parts you want to process.

   Leaves and stems: Remove any damaged or discoloured material and check carefully for other plants, grass or insects that may have been collected during harvesting.

   Roots: If you are harvesting the roots, separate them from the above-ground plant material and wash them thoroughly in clean, cold running water to remove soil and debris.

   We keep the different plant parts separate because leaves, stems and roots can require different preparation and drying times.

Cleaning and Inspecting the Nettle

Spread the harvested nettle over a clean surface and carefully inspect it before drying.

Remove any grass, weeds, insects, damaged leaves or other foreign material that may have come in during harvesting.

If plant material has been washed, remove as much excess surface moisture as possible before drying.

Taking the time to sort and inspect the harvest now helps ensure you're storing clean, good-quality dried nettle later.

Drying Stinging Nettle

Once the nettle has been sorted and prepared, it needs to be dried thoroughly before storage.

The aim is to remove enough moisture for safe storage while maintaining the quality of the dried plant material.

There are several ways to dry nettle. For home growers, two of the simplest methods are air drying or using a herb dryer/dehydrator.

Whichever method you choose, good airflow and avoiding excessive heat are important.

Air Drying

1. Make small bunches: Gather the nettle stems into small, loose bunches and tie them together. Avoid making the bunches too large, as good airflow is important for even drying.

2. Hang to dry: Hang the bunches upside down in a dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight and moisture.

3. Give them space: Leave plenty of room between each bunch so air can circulate freely around the plant material.

4. Check regularly: Drying time will vary depending on temperature, humidity and the size of your bunches. The leaves should feel completely dry and crisp and the stems should snap rather than bend before you store them.

Don't rush the drying process — any moisture left in the plant material can cause problems during storage.

Using a Herb Drying Machine

This is the method we use on our farm because it gives us greater control over the drying environment.

1. Spread evenly: Arrange the nettle in a single layer on the drying trays, allowing plenty of space for air to circulate.

2. Dry gently: Use a low drying temperature suitable for herbs. We want to remove the moisture without unnecessarily exposing the plant material to high heat.

3. Check regularly: Drying time will vary depending on the amount of nettle, moisture content, humidity and your particular drying machine.

4. Check before storing: The nettle should be thoroughly dry before it is packed away. Leaves should feel crisp and stems should snap rather than bend.

Good drying isn't about doing it as quickly as possible — it's about producing clean, thoroughly dried plant material ready for storage.

Why We Dry Our Stinging Nettle

Freshly harvested nettle contains a lot of moisture, so drying allows us to preserve the harvested plant material for later use.

Properly dried nettle is easier to store and gives us a supply of our farm-grown herb beyond the harvesting season.

Once completely dry, store your nettle in a clean, airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Always check dried herbs before use. If you notice moisture, mould, an unusual smell or deterioration, don't use them.

For us, drying is another step in taking an ingredient from our soil and preparing it carefully for the next stage of its journey.

Stinging Nettle Leaves

Stinging nettle leaves have a long history of use as both a food and a traditional herbal ingredient.

Once properly prepared, the leaves can be used in a variety of ways, including herbal teas and cooking, as well as in botanical preparations.

Here at Saarinen Organics, my particular interest is in using the herbs we grow as part of our skincare formulation journey.

Our nettle is grown, harvested and processed here on the farm before being carefully prepared for its intended use.

I love knowing the story behind an ingredient — where it grew, when it was harvested and how it was handled before it ever reached one of my formulations.

Stinging Nettle Roots

The roots are another part of the stinging nettle plant that has a long history of traditional herbal use.

If you're harvesting nettle roots, keep them separate from the leaves and stems. Wash them thoroughly to remove soil, cut larger roots into smaller pieces where needed, and dry them completely before storage.

The roots and leaves are different plant materials and shouldn't simply be treated as interchangeable.

For this article, we're concentrating mainly on how we harvest, process and dry our nettle, rather than making health claims about what the different parts of the plant may do.

Growing the plant ourselves gives us something I really value as a formulator — a connection with the ingredient long before it reaches the lab.

From Our Farm to Our Formulations

For us, processing stinging nettle is about more than simply drying a herb.

It’s part of knowing our ingredients from the very beginning — growing them, harvesting them, carefully processing them and understanding the plants I work with as a formulator.

Some of the nettle we grow here on our farm also makes its way into selected Saarinen Organics skincare formulations.

We grow it. I formulate it. We make it.

Want to see where our farm-grown herbs go next?

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