This year, we seem to have a bumper crop of Purple Dead Nettle. These stately little flowers, sitting on top of a crown of ombre leaves, have the sweetest little faces and (besides being my favorite color) are a welcome arrival in spring.
I've learned to pay attention to what God and Mother Nature provides. I learned that at a previous job, where huge picture windows offered a view of the tops of nearby pine trees. As autumn neared a couple years ago, I noticed an abundance of pine cones on those trees, more than I'd ever seen before. Sure enough, the following winter was a hard one. How the trees knew to produce more food for little wild foragers is a mystery to me, but it taught me to consider the "why" of things, in addition to the "what."
So, the nettle. I remember seeing this weed/herb when I was growing up in Pearl River, and I've seen it every spring over the past 20 years here in Sullivan County. But this year? Wow. Lots and lots of it have sprung up.
Luckily, I found the Facebook page of a local-ish forager, Paul Tappenden. He explains that Purple Dead Nettle tea has anti-viral properties, so - in this time of viral fears - I picked bunches of it when I was ambling around my yard this afternoon.
As I picked them and put them in a colander to wash off the dirt (and the stray stowaway ant), I took the time to study the sweet little flowers. Look closely - tiny, fuzzy, and purple, they are beautiful.
I spread them on a rack over a baking sheet, and put them in a 200-degree oven to dry. Ideally, I would have stripped the flowers and leaves off of the stems, but I bet they would have filtered down through the mesh and made a mess on the baking sheet, so I'll try to dry them on the stem first.
Once they are dry enough, I'll put a spoonful or so into a cup of boiled water. I heard that instead of tasting minty - they are, after all, a member of the mint family - they have a taste similar to beets (that is to say, like dirt).
Well, sometimes the bitter medicine is the best.
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