Here’s a post from a few years ago but perhaps you have a bit more time for foraging and trying out new recipes at the minute- enjoy. It is definitely worth the effort!

So about 2 weeks ago I put on my thick gloves and lifted my basket and went nettle picking. My recipe was for 1 litre of nettle cordial but being a cautious soul I halved the quantities just in case I didn’t like it. Out I went to gather the required 100g of nettle tops. I knew it would be a lot more than you would expect (just like spinach) but my first ‘weigh in’ was a measly 75g so back out I went.

I washed and dried the nettles, placed  them in a bowl and added the solution of water, citric acid  and sugar  – it’s quite an unusual smell! After a week it was time to filter and sample the result.

The perfect pink liquid was delicious diluted with sparkling water – a definite success!

I had a bit of fun a few days later when I put the members of a local gardening club to the test  – not one person guessed what it was. Many thought it was gooseberry.

I am so pleased with the result that it will be gloves on for a mass harvest. I plan to make a couple of litres and freeze it in containers  so we can enjoy nettle cordial throughout the summer.

A 2020 update is that I have now discovered that this nettle cordial is a nice addition to gin and tonic!
I researched a number of websites for recipes and you can see the recipe for my version of nettle cordial  here or check out the sites below – there are loads more!
eatweeds.co.uk