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
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!
What can I mix with stinging nettle? ›
Stinging nettle recipes (9)
- Stinging Nettle Mash & Beans# 4 weeks challenge # ...
- Stinging Nettle Banana stew. ...
- Uji Porridge Flour Kenya Wimbi Millet Sorghum Baby Adult Healthy Flour (Nairobi) by Zawadi. ...
- Irio/mukimo and mincemeat stew #author marathon. ...
- Vegetable pilau served with french beans. ...
- Mukimo. ...
- Sautéed stinging nettles.
Young leaves can be used to make curries, herb soups, and sour soups. The root of the stinging nettle is used to treat mictional difficulties associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, while the leaves are used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and allergic rhinitis.
Is stinging nettle a super food? ›
Stinging nettle is a plant that can sting and cause welts, but when the sting is removed a traditional “superfood” emerges. Native Indigenous peoples have gathered stinging nettles since time immemorial. They can be used medicinally, ceremonially, made into fabric, nets, rope, and are a highly nutritious food source.
When should you not eat nettles? ›
At the first sign of nettles flowering and going to seed, you should stop picking the leaves – the plant starts to produce microscopic rods of calcium carbonate, which when absorbed into the body can interfere with our kidney function.
Who should avoid stinging nettle? ›
Avoid stinging nettle if you're allergic or sensitive to nettle or plants in the same family. Avoid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding because there isn't enough information on its safety. Use with caution if you're elderly because of the potential of causing low blood pressure.
Who should not drink nettle tea? ›
Pregnant people should not take nettle or drink nettle tea. Due to a lack of research, children under the age of 12 years should also avoid nettle. It is important that people with existing conditions and those who take certain medications speak with a healthcare professional before trying nettle.
Is stinging nettle safe for kidneys? ›
Cautions. Avoid nettles if you have severe kidney disease, are on dialysis, or have fluid retention due to congestive heart failure. Nettles may interfere with blood pressure medication.
What does boiling nettles do? ›
Quickly blanching them in a pot of boiling water will deaden the sting. But leave them for too long and - like spinach - the leaves will wilt too far, and start to lose flavour, texture and goodness. Treat the cooked nettle leaves as you would treat cooked spinach leaves.
What are the side effects of nettles? ›
Occasional side effects include mild stomach upset, fluid retention, sweating, diarrhea, and hives or rash (mainly from topical use). 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.
Natural herbs for women like Nettle leaf or stinging nettle can optimize and balance hormones for optimal health, giving you great skin and hair as well. Stinging Nettle or Nettle leaf is a common plant, its leaves can cause itching and a temporary discomfort hence earning it a lot of bad press.
Is there a difference between nettle and stinging nettle? ›
The only “difference” is that the leaf is merely a part of the whole plant. Stinging nettle can be divided into six subspecies, and five of them have stinging hairs called trichomes, which will inject chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact.
Is stinging nettle bad for your liver? ›
Stinging nettle extracts are generally well tolerated and have not been implicated in instances of serum aminotransferase elevations or cases of clinically apparent liver injury.
What is more healthy than spinach? ›
On the other hand, kale crushes spinach when it comes to vitamins K and C, plus it's also lower in calories and richer in heart-healthy flavonoids. These flavonoids are packed with anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
What plant is more nutritious than spinach? ›
When you look at their nutritional makeup, kale has more calcium, vitamin K, and twice as much vitamin C as spinach, she explains. Spinach, however, has more iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, folate, and vitamins A and E. “Both are highly nutritious choices overall though,” she tells me.
Is stinging nettle the most nutritious plant on earth? ›
This is all a bit unfortunate, because Stinging Nettle may very well be one of the wild's most nutritious plants. When you dig into its vitamin and mineral profile, you'll understand why. What's more, Stinging Nettle boasts an incredible medicinal profile.
What is healthier than spinach? ›
Kale, for example, has more calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin K than spinach, while spinach has more vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, potassium, zinc, folate, and magnesium. They are both incredibly healthy options, but which one is best for your body is actually subjective.
