There is something magical about the smell of Strawberry Jam as it cooks.  It's days like this I feel lucky to have my little business, happily chopping, cooking and getting high on strawberry fumes.

I was so lucky to run into my favourite organic grocer, Bernie, at the fresh markets last week.  He'd sourced some beautiful 'storm damaged' strawberries and was happy to share with me as well as his customers.  I still can't understand why they were determined to be damaged - they look (and smelled...and tasted!) absolutely perfect to me.

So I set about chopping them roughly, cooking them with a few vanilla pods until just set, then bottling them up.  I must say I'm pretty chuffed with the result - I've managed to keep the the beautiful colour, add a subtle vanilla flavour and the end product is a beautiful soft set jam - you know, the type that oozes off whatever you're eating so that just have to lick your fingers and reminds you of the joys of eating?

Could this beautiful Nettle be any greener!?  I'll admit, I am completely in love with Nettle.  I know, I know... it stings & is annoying, but honestly it is just so nourishing. 

Nettle has been used by herbalists for centuries and is known as a 'blood tonic' because it is high in iron.  But it is also an amazing antiimflammatory. My Mum suffers from eczema and finds a cup of nettle tea each day completely gets rid of it.  Pretty cool. 

My first nettle plant came from a friend and it has proliferated in growing patches of my garden ever since.  It self seeds readily, and there are often seeds in packets of tea (ours certainly always have a fair few at the bottom of the packet) so be prepared to find a few plants popping up here n there, but they are easily pulled out - just make sure you have gloves on!  Seedlings in unwanted spots can easily be transplanted to a suitable place, increasing your harvest.

Nettle should be harvested just before it seeds, when the leaves are lush (as in the pic above).  If you cut it back it will shoot off again like basil and give you at least another crop if not several.  Herbs are best picked mid morning, once the dew has dried off and before the sun is hot. We dry ours in a commercial grade dehydrator, but it is easily dried by tying in a bunch and hanging in a dark, dry, dust free spot.

Until recently, I didn't realise there is another HUGE upside to growing nettle in your garden.  And that is, it's food for admiral butterfly larvae.