Green, green, green – the dandelion nettle smoothie

Oh, how wonderful. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the stream is gurgling. There’s nothing better than a gentle stroll. So, why not head to the Jägersee Lake? Past a variety of plants. Daisies, alders, maple trees, bluebells, crocuses, dandelions, thistles, nettles… to name but a few.

Hey, that’s an idea! As I drink a smoothie every day for breakfast, I’ll pick a few leaves along the way. That’ll pep up my morning. Hmmm, what could I pick? I’ve got a feeling I’ve heard of a nettle smoothie before. But surely it stings when you pick the leaves, doesn’t it? So maybe not. Dandelion leaves are always useful. So, I pick a few. Suddenly I remember, that just a few days ago, fertiliser was spread here, so maybe I shouldn’t take those, I can do without the added taste. I also refrain from picking the plants along the edge of the path. It’s probably better to look in the forest. Good, that a nearby narrow path leads to it. Past the fields and then I’m in the forest and see beautiful dandelion leaves.

I pick a few as you should always use fresh ones. Somehow, I can’t get the idea of nettles out of my head. I really need to do so more research. Oh yes, you can eat and drink them. Nettle spinach? Nettle dumplings? Well, they can’t be that dangerous then. Surely, I’ve a glove in my jacket from when I was planting herbs, yes, there it is. So, I pick a few nettles too. Very carefully of course. Then I head back home.

I wash off my pickings in the garden, as apparently nettles cause less pain when they’re wet. In the kitchen I clean all ingredients thoroughly. To be on the safe side, I handle the leaves with gloves on.

You can use any of your usual smoothie recipes as a basic recipe. My favourite is as follows: according to the amount, one or two bananas in the mixer, add some liquid… I prefer orange juice. Sometimes I use apple puree instead of bananas and apple juice instead of orange juice. If I really want give my body a treat, I add a dash of curcuma. To enhance its effect, I sprinkle a little black pepper in too. And last but not least, add the dandelion and nettles. At first, I activate the mixer to chop everything finely. Then the whole thing is whizz thoroughly.

I then pour the contents into a tall glass and garnish my dandelion nettle smoothie with a leaf of red basil. Et voilá! It’s that simple, and not to worry, the nettles don’t sting my throat. :)

And what does your perfect, healthy summer smoothie look like? Take a photo of it and post here @bloghuette.at and @wagrainkleinarl

Bildnachweis: Belina Huttegger, Julia - Pixabay