The first thing is choose good quality nettles. The best option is nettles from your own yard. That's how you know if it's been sprayed with something or not.
If you are going to pick it, it should not be next to roads or near cultivated areas (fields). You have two options - pick it by the stems and blanch it, or tear off the fresh tops leaf by leaf - it's your choice.
Wash the nettles well. Put a deep and wide pot, which is half full of water on the stove and leave it to boil. On the side, prepare a large bowl full of ice water to shock the blanched nettles.
Put the nettles in the boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, by adding a little salt in the water beforehand (to preserve the color and integrity of the leaves).
Remove the nettles from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place them immediately in the ice water to shock them. The shocking itself is done again in order to preserve the nice green color of the nettles. Leave the nettles in the ice water for a minute - a minute and a half and remove them again with a slotted spoon onto a towel.
Leave the nettles on the towel, so that the excess water can be strained from it. Blanched like this, you can use it for many dishes such as nettle moussaka, nettle soup or various casseroles. If you are not going to use it right away, put it in the freezer for some time. If you are going to put it in the freezer, immediately make a bundle with the towel and squeeze the water from the nettles, which was absorbed during the blanching. Do not squeeze them too much, but gently - after all, the leaves should remain whole, not mashed.
Consume more nettles, especially when in season. I often make tea with it to get the much-needed iron, calcium, vitamins - A, C, E and minerals for the body.
Undoubtedly, nettle has many medicinal properties, so get some, store them and use them.
