One thing I remember reading in the copious amounts of Victorian-era fiction that I read is how often book characters ate nettles. This always confused me, because in my mind, nettles were simply painful weeds used by my siblings and me only to pull up with our bare hands to prove how tough we were. So that is why the idea of eating nettles confused me.
However, it turns out that nettles are a sneaky plant that is actually amazingly delicious once you get past all those prickles. The flavor is similar to a mild spinach, and nettles are amazing at fighting inflammation and contain a ton of nutrients like potassium, calcium, vitamin A, iron, magnesium, and the elusive vitamin B-6. The secret to utilizing nettles is simply to cook them- once cooked, the prickles disappear and the histamines that make you sneeze and itch are removed.
Essential Tips for Avoiding the Sting
Nettles try to kill you. That is a science fact. They contain histamines and barbs that can make even grown adults cry. If you try to pluck the nettles and eat them raw, you will be sorry and your hands will be numb and sore for days. Do not do this. Always use rubber or leather gloves when ethically harvesting and preparing wild nettles for eating.
There are basically three ways to process nettles before you can eat them safely. Your options are:
- Pulverize
- Dry
- Cook
After washing the nettles, you can use any of the above three methods to remove the burrs. You can use a dehydrator to quickly dry the nettles, or a food processor to pulverize them. Cooking is fairly self-explanatory, I believe. :-)
Delicious Nettle Recipes
Now for the moment you have been waiting for: how to actually use nettles as food!
Basically, you can use nettles any place you might use spinach or any other green. It’s not weird once you start thinking of it like spinach rather than a weed. I’ve found some rather inventive ways to use nettles in food across the web. My favorites are listed below.
Nettle Soup
I loved purred soups, and soup is one of the most famous ways to prepare nettles. This recipe from My Yoga Online combines nettles, onions, garlic, and potatoes for a delicious soup that packs an anti-inflammatory punch.
Nettle Side Dish
According to Hunter Gatherer, nettles are best as a side dish when sautéed. I would cook them lightly with butter, garlic, and some seasoning. Cook it too much and you will end with a pile of mush.
Nettle Tea
Nettles contain a variety of vitamins and minerals essential for health. Women can benefit especially from the iron, magnesium, and vitamins found in nettles. Rather than always eating them, however, drinking nettles in a refreshing tea blend is a great way to add the benefits of nettles to your diet. I like how this recipe adds peppermint to counteract the bitterness of the dandelion and nettles.
Nettle Detox
Your liver is necessary for balancing many of the body’s systems- including your hormones and metabolism. A functioning liver is essential for a healthy body. If you have not always treated your liver kindly, you may want to try this nettle detox found on The Untrained Housewife to cleanse and detox the liver.
Nettle Ravioli
We recently started making our own homemade ravioli (super-fun), and using nettles as a filling would be perfect! I like their way of cutting out the ravioli with a cookie cutter. Our way took ages.
Want to learn more about edible wild food? We recommend this ebook: Free Food from Foraging (Amazon).
Pizza Topping
I’ve seen this on several sites- just add nettles to the top of the pizza as if it were spinach before baking. I think this would be delicious with goat cheese, chicken, and garlic.
Nettle Sorbet
All right, so this is pretty out-there, but when I saw this recipe for a nettle sorbet, I had to include it. Similar to the flavor of green-tea sorbet, only the most flavor adventurous will love this recipe. Also on this page is a recipe for nettle pesto, which may fit the tastes of less-adventurous families better.
So now, rather than curse the nettles that pop up in your yard, you may actually start protecting them so you can serve them for dinner! However, do not eat nettles that grow in pesticide-treated areas.
Do you eat nettles? What is your favorite way to prepare them?
As far back as I can remember, I went with grandmother, my aunts and mom to gather wild greens in the spring. O ne was nettle. You must always rub your hand upwards on the stem to avoid the barbs and usually cut the top 4″. Everything was rinsed off and put in a large pot with some salt pork in the bottom. Fill to just above the greens with water and cook on low heat. When they have wilted down, cover and let cook. Check every so often and add more water if needed. When they are cooked, about 1/2 hr, serve with a slotted spoon. Fill your plate. We usually served Jowl with greens and cornbread and fresh onions. Can’t find a better meal.
April 2018 – the nettles here in the Cascade Range are coming up beautifully! I collect a bag full and rinse them in a colander, then put them in a large sauté pan with a knob of butter and a clove or three of crushed garlic. Put the lid on & cook on medium heat – just until hot all the way through and the butter is melted. I like to serve alongside the meat and potatoes as a green veg. Or make homemade pasta with my bountiful spring eggs and cut it into ribbons of papparadelle, served with fresh heavy cream, some grated cheese, and those cooked nettles it makes a delicious meal!
I have a tried and true recommendation from a friend that his Grandfather used fresh nettle for pain relief. A local Grandfather living in the Central West of NSW.
I have used this info myself and eased my bone and muscle soreness for each use. Relief success was achieved for about 18 hours to 24 hours. Compared to the pain a quicker and effective use of a common weed that was more than the tablets I had used previously. Nettles are Very high in hair and nail chemicals support.