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How to identify and collect nettle seeds for drying

It is now the perfect time to start collecting nettle seeds to add to your food over the winter. Nettle seeds are one of the most nutritious seeds that you can eat, they are easy to collect, easy to dry and easy to add into food.  I have them sprinkled on top of porridge or greek yoghurt - you can also add them to salads or into bread, hummus and masses of other foods!

How to identify nettle seeds.

The seeds are from the common stinging nettle - Urtica dioica.  

The diocia part of the name indicates that there are separate male and female plants.  You will need the female plant for seeds but until you look closely it can be difficult to tell them apart.

This is a male nettle

The strings coming out of the stalk are the male flowers.  

When you look closely they are like tightly tied up bundles - four segments - with the occasional stamen.

They open up when it gets hot and release pollen.

This nettle will never produce seeds

This is a female nettle in flower

It also has strings of flowers coming from the stem but these are fluffy, designed to catch pollen.

This is too early for collecting as the seeds haven't yet formed.

But looking further down the stem are some flowers that have changed into seeds

This is the stage to collect - they are like tiny strings of succulents.  

How to collect and dry nettle seeds

I try and collect nettle seeds with as little extra matter as possible - I do not collect the whole stem as is sometimes suggested.  

In a damp climate, I find that the less bulk I have the quicker and easier drying is.

There are also lots of insects that lay their eggs on nettle plants so it is good to disturb them as little as possible.

I use scissors and snip each string of leaves into a bowl.

I then use a dehydrator - though a sunny windowsill works well too.  I find 60 degrees for 2-4 hours works well.

Once they are completely dry I tip them into a sieve over a bowl and gently rub with a spoon until all the seeds have come off and I am left with stalks and fibres.

and a beautiful bowl of dark green seeds

They then get put into a jar and stored with all the other 'sprinkle-type' seeds in the pantry.

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