It is spring, and to many of us that means time to watch for the nettle. Long ago, our ancestors also watchedfor the first greens of spring after ahard winterwithnutritional foods in short supply. As soon as they were able, they harvested nettle andincorporated its revitalizing nutrition into their diets.
Nutritionally, nettleis one of nature’s powerhouses. Nettles arevery high in calcium, chromium, magnesium, and zinc, and high in cobalt, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, thiamine, vitaminA, and vitamin C (Pederson, 1998).
Many an herbalist claims nettle is one of their favorites, and here we’ll share some of our favorite nettle recipes!
Gathering Nettle Leaves
It’s not called “stinging” nettle withoutreason. The leaves and the stalk are covered with fine hair-like daggers containing several chemicals including formic acid, which, when touched, causes a sting.
Reactions to the sting vary. Some people accept the sting and thank the plant. Others feel the tingle the rest of the day. In others the burn can last twenty-four hours. (Japan has a nettle whose sting, they claim, lasts a year!) It appears if you work with nettle a lot, the sting isn’t as harsh.
The leaves are best harvested in the spring when the nettle is less than 18 inches tall. Taking only the top six inches is recommended. Try to harvest only stems with unblemished leaves.
If you’re new to harvesting nettle, you should wear gloves and take a large paper grocery bag or basket for placing the nettle in.
If you are harvesting for teas for later in the year, dry the nettle, either by hanging, or my favorite method: Placing the nettle loosely in brown paper bags, marking the bag, putting it in your backseat, and parking in the sun. Depending on the temperature, it usually takes only one day (more on harvesting here).
Once the nettle is dried or cooked, it loses its sting.
If you are looking for a place to buy dried nettle, we recommend Mountain Rose Herbs.
Stinging Nettle Recipes for your Cookbook
Nettle Soup
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
½ cup uncooked rice (wild rice is great but any rice will do)
Several large handfuls stinging nettle tops
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Mixed vegetables, or corn or whatever veggie you like that day
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Potatoes and/or leeks can also be added
Directions
- Carefully pick nettles – gloves are recommended. Take only the top 4-6 inches of new unblemished spring plants that are less than 18 inches tall. Remove the leaves. You may need to rinse and pat them dry.
- Start cooking your rice.
- In a separate large soup pan melt the butter, add the onion and garlic and simmer until translucent.
- Add the chicken broth and onion and garlic mixture and nettles leaves in the soup pan and bring to a full boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point we use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the vegetables, rice and salt and pepper (and any other herbs you like) and simmer a few more minutes.
Nettle Pasta
You can use any of your favorite pasta recipes and incorporate the nettle.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 or 3 large handfuls of fresh nettle tops (harvested from plants no more than 18” tall and only taking the top 6”)
2-3 eggs
Directions
- Bring nettle and water to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Strain nettles, retaining the water – you’ll use that water to boil your pasta in later.
- Puree nettles and the eggs using immersion blender.
- Make a well out of the flour in a mixing bowl and add the nettles and eggs mixture. Mix thoroughly until you have a smooth dough ball. (You may need to add extra flour if the mixture is wet or the retained nettle water if the mixture is dry.)
- Put the ball of dough in a bowl and let it stand for 15 minutes.
- Roll out about 1/3 of the dough at a time into a ball.
- Cover the ball of dough with damp towel and let set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll 1/3 of the dough at a time on a floured surface as thin as you would like – can be very thin or thicker if you like thick noodles.
- Cut into any length strip – as long or short as you want, or in squares if you want to make ravioli. Hang them, if possible, for about 10 minutes. We have a pasta hanger, but you can use a clean plastic hanger.
- Bring the savednettle water to a boil again and place your green noodles into the boiling water. Cook for 3 – 8 minutes depending on the thickness. Check them for doneness.
(To sacrificehealth benefits but maximize delight, we drizzle with melted butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese.)
Nettle Broth
Adapted from Traditional Scottish Cooking by Margaret Fairlie
Ingredients
2 cups chopped young fresh nettle (dried nettle can be used off season)
1 quart chicken broth
½ cup barley
1 cup diced potatoes
Salt and pepper as needed
Directions
- Wash and pat dry the nettle. Remove the stems and discard.Finely chop the leaves.
- Bring the chicken stock and barley to a boil and simmer in a saucepan for about an hour.
- Add the nettles and diced potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about twenty to thirty minutes.
- Serve hot. Serves 4.
Nettle Oatcakes
Adapted fromPrehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood
Ingredients
bowl of nettles
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
approximately 1 cup oatmeal (until it binds)
Directions
- Wash a large bowl of nettles and pat dry. Place them in a pan with two tablespoons of butter and simmer over low heat stirring occasionally.
- Strain.
- Add salt and an egg and beat until smooth.
- Add oatmeal until it binds together. Let sit one hour.
- Press into about two inch patties, and fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve warm with bacon, cheese, or with maple syrup.
Nettle Leaf Shortbread
Adapted from Je Cusine Les Plantes by Amandine Geers Ingredients
5½ ounces of butter at room temperature
10½ounces of plain flour
2½ ounces sugar (powdered sugar will make them less sweet)
3 tablespoons nettle leaf finely chopped (powdered)
½ teaspoons baking powder
1 or 2 egg yolks
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cut butter into the small pieces.
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, nettle powder, baking powder and sugar).
- Add butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add one egg yolk and form a ball (if one egg yolk isn’t enough, add another and then add milk (about three tablespoons) to dry ingredients until it forms a dough.
- Roll dough on parchment paper to about 1/3 inch. Cut into squares.
- Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Easy Nettle Tea
Nettle tea is nutritious at any time of year. I use about 1 teaspoon of dried nettle and 1 cup of water and let it brew, covered, for about 20 minutes. It can be drying in the winter, so watch for this.
I hope you have access to fresh nettle this month so you are able to try some of the above recipes. And don’t forget to dry some nettle for use during the winter!
More Nettle Recipes to Enjoy:
Nettle Vinegar
Spring Nettles with Garlic-Lemon White Beans
Nettle Spring Side SaladbyHunter Gather Cook
Stinging Nettle Chips by Learning and Yearning
Stinging Nettle Frittata by This Original Organic Life
Stinging Nettle and Sharp Cheddar Omelet by Nourished Kitchen
REFERENCES
Pedersen, Mark. (1998). Nutritional Herbology.
FAQs
Add water to just cover the nettles, ideally with water collected from a water butt, but tap water is fine. Add a weight such as a brick to submerge the nettles. Wait patiently to brew. Watch the bubbles and smell the aroma!
How to cook and eat stinging nettle? ›
Drop in the stinging nettles, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until they soften. This will remove most of the sting. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Trim off any tough stems, then chop coarsely.
What can you use stinging nettle for in food? ›
Nettles are commonly used in soups, seasoning, teas and pesto. After proper preparation, substitute nettle leaves in almost any recipe that uses spinach or kale as an ingredient. You can preserve nettles for future use by freezing or drying them.
What is nettle used for in cooking? ›
Since it tastes so similar to spinach, cooked nettle is used in many of the same ways: in pastas, in sauces, in soups, or sauteed and served as a side. One of the most common ways to consume the plant is drinking nettle tea.
Is nettle feed good for tomatoes? ›
Using Nettles as Fertilizer
It can be added to the compost bin to stimulate decomposition as well. When using nettles as fertilizer, remember that some plants, like tomatoes and roses, do not enjoy the high iron levels in nettle fertilizer. This fertilizer works best on leafy plants and heavy feeders.
How do you make nettle flour? ›
If you have a dehydrator, place the leaves in the trays and dehydrate on low overnight or until the leaves are fully dry. Or simply hang the plants in a dry, dark, ventilated place and let them dry naturally. Put the dry leaves in a blender and blend until powdered. A vitamix will make a nice, fine powder.
When should you not eat nettles? ›
You really should not eat them once they begin to form flowers – as they'll start to produce a substance that can interfere with kidney function – but is of great benefit to butterflies and moths! If you ever pull up nettle roots, you'll notice they are yellow and are often used as a natural die.
Who should avoid stinging nettles? ›
It is important to be careful when handling the nettle plant because touching it can cause an allergic rash. Stinging nettle should never be applied to an open wound. Because nettle can alter the menstrual cycle and may contribute to miscarriage, pregnant women should not use nettle.
Is it safe to eat stinging nettle raw? ›
It's the simplest way of getting nettle into your body, but you can also cook it into larger dishes or even apply it topically if you have a skin irritation. Because the stings have to remain firm to cause the irritation, cooking the leaf instantly makes them safe – don't try to eat the leaf raw in a salad or anything.
Does boiling nettles get rid of the sting? ›
Once water boils, place nettle into boiling water using tongs. If using fresh nettle, be careful not to touch it with bare hands. Blanch nettle for one to two minutes. This will remove the sting.
Nettles are often called a “superfood.” Spinach is considered the most nutritious green in grocery stores but it pales in comparison to nettles, which are 29 times higher in calcium, 8 times higher in magnesium, 3 times higher in potassium, and almost double in their potassium content!
Do you drink stinging nettle hot or cold? ›
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and serve it hot or cold, as you prefer. You can drink your infusion throughout the day. For the best allergy support, make this one up to three or four times a week.
What is the best way to take nettle? ›
The dried leaves and flowers can be steeped to make a delicious herbal tea, while its leaves, stem and roots can be cooked and added to soups, stews, smoothies and stir-frys. However, avoid eating fresh leaves, as their barbs can cause irritation. Currently, there is no recommended dosage for stinging nettle products.
What can you do with nettles? ›
Stinging nettles are useful plants for people too. Their new spring growth can be harvested as a leafy vegetable, made into soup and tea, or used to make environmentally-friendly homemade fertiliser.
Can you drink boiled nettle water? ›
Because nettles contain numerous important vitamins and minerals, consuming nettle tea may help people get more of them. Its iron content, in particular, may help people who are prone to anemia and other nutritional deficiencies.
What plants don't like nettle fertiliser? ›
This fertilizer works best on plants that have a high demand for nourishment such as fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants. It works for tomatoes, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. However, it is not meant for beans, peas, onions, potatoes and root vegetables.
How do I make nettle and comfrey feed? ›
Young stinging nettle leaves are cut in the spring (wearing a thick pair of gloves!) and made the same way as comfrey tea. A quick method is to add 1kg of nettles to 20 litres of water. Use the liquid undiluted when it starts to smell, usually a couple of weeks.
Is nettle feed good for all plants? ›
Nettle fertiliser is useful for all above ground plantings. It's high in Nitrogen. Dilute 1:10, it makes a weak tea colour which still stinks after being watered down ten times! Apply weekly to plants - too much and you can scorch the leaves.
