One of my favorite beverages to prepare atop a woodstove is a strong stinging nettle infusion, or herbal tea. It’s really a percolation, since long ago I began using my grandmother’s porcelain percolator on top of a Baby Bear Fisher woodstove to brew this robust and immensely satisfying tea. Because this recipe can be used with either fresh or dried leaves, it's very easy and can be enjoyed year-round.

Simply fill the percolator basket with fresh or dried nettle leaves and percolate as if you were making coffee. This will produce a very strong, fragrant, green and earthy tea, to which I love to add honey and milk. If you don't have a percolator, make your tea using the old-fashioned method of boiling water and pouring it over the herbs in a pot or tea kettle.

The Benefits of Using Stinging Nettle

This nourishing infusion is very heartening in the winter and gives one the feeling of inner strength and stamina. Mineral-rich nettle (Urtica dioica) leaves are full of calcium, magnesium, chlorophyll, iron, potassium, phosphorus and carotenes, and are extremely nourishing for women, men, and children of all ages.

The nettle’s hairs contain formic acid which stings when it comes in contact with our skin, but this acid is neutralized when the leaves are dried or cooked. In addition to being powerhouses of nutrients, nettles are useful in other ways, too: they have long been used for fiber and to make paper, clothing, ropes and netting. Nettles reseed plentifully and are prized as medicine and food.

Harvesting Nettles

If you plan to harvest fresh nettles for this tea (or to harvest and then dry them), be well-prepared. I don long-armed rubber gloves, grab a set of long tongs, and also a good sharp scissors. You'll need a tall, self-supporting bag (such as a grocery bag) to put on the ground beside you as you snip the stalks.

Once you're at the nettle patch, choose the stalks you want to collect. At the base (using those gloves!) snip the stalk and grab it with the tongs using your other hand. Drop the entire stalk vertically into the waiting bag. Repeat until your bag is full.

When you get back to the kitchen, use the tongs to hold each stalk and snip each leaf off into a pot or bowl. The stalks can be used in the tea too, if they're fresh and supple.

Woodstove Nettle Tea Recipe

This wood-fired nettle brew is a delicious and wonderfully healthy way to start a productive and enjoyable winter day.

1 cup dried stinging nettle leaves, or one large bunch of fresh leaves

1 to 2 quarts water (to fill percolator)

1 to 2 teaspoons honey

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a glass, ceramic or metal (non-aluminum) percolator, percolate the nettle leaves for 10 to 15 minutes. (If you don’t have a percolator, add the nettle leaves to 1 quart water in a sauce pan, cover, and simmer lightly for 10 to 15 minutes.) Strain, stir in the honey and milk, and serve hot.

Excerpted/adapted from Taproot Magazine, “Warming Winter Brews” by Holly Bellebuono

To learn more about herbal medicine courses, visit The Bellebuono School of Herbal Medicine. #bellebuonoschoolofherbalmedicine