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
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.
What makes nettle tea taste better? ›
If you like nettle tea, I suggest that you try making a long infusion, which is much tastier and far more nutritious. Put 1 oz. of nettle leaves into a quart of boiling water, then let steep for at least 4 hours. I generally put a quart on to steep before bedtime, then strain it in the morning.
Are nettles more nutritious than spinach? ›
Nettles are the highest source of protein from wild plants in the U.S. They contain 26% protein for the calories. They also contain: iron, calcium, magnesium, silicon, potassium, manganese zinc, copper, and chromium, vitamins A and B. Nettles are more nutritious than spinach, kale, or asparagus.
Is nettle feed good for tomatoes? ›
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.
Who should avoid nettle? ›
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 okay to drink nettle tea every day? ›
The bottom line. Whether you forage for your own leaves or buy it in a more convenient teabag form, having a cup of nettle tea every day offers a range of health and nutritional benefits, from reducing blood pressure to offering protective anti-inflammatories and antioxidants.
What Cannot be taken with nettle? ›
Interactions ?
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with STINGING NETTLE. Stinging nettle might lower blood sugar levels. ...
- Warfarin (Coumadin) interacts with STINGING NETTLE. ...
- Lithium interacts with STINGING NETTLE. ...
- Water pills (Diuretic drugs) interacts with STINGING NETTLE.
Nettle leaves contain many healthy antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which means that there may be potential benefits of nettle tea. However, a negative side effect of nettle tea is that a person may develop hives.
Is it better to drink nettle tea at night or in the morning? ›
Since nettle tea has a strong diuretic effect, avoid drinking it before bedtime.
How many cups of nettle tea per day? ›
There's no one recommended portion size for nettle leaf or nettle leaf products, though the Arthritis Foundation suggests these amounts for arthritis benefits: 1 cup of tea three times a day. Up to 1,300 milligrams a day in capsule form. As a tincture (a solution in alcohol), 1-4 milliliters, three times a day.
But nettle isn't just good for treating your dry scalp: it can even help with hair loss. In fact, nettle is one of the oldest recorded remedies used for treating and preventing hair loss. This is primarily due to the high amount of sulphur and silica in nettle, which improve hair health by strengthening the hair shaft.
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.
Can I eat nettles everyday? ›
Studies suggest that it may reduce inflammation, hay fever symptoms, blood pressure and blood sugar levels — among other benefits. While fresh stinging nettle may cause irritation, cooked, dried or freeze-dried stinging nettle is generally safe to consume.
What is the healthiest leaf to eat? ›
Eight super-healthy leafy greens – and why you should eat them
- Spinach. Spinach is easy to get all year round, and is chock full of iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins B6, C and K. ...
- Kale. ...
- Swiss chard. ...
- Collard greens. ...
- Rocket. ...
- Romaine lettuce. ...
- Watercress. ...
- Bok choy.
To use it, just add one part of your nettle tea to ten parts water. Because it's rich in nitrogen, this is particularly useful for leafy vegetables like kale, chard and spinach. You can also cut nettles to lay, as they are, around larger plants or shrubby fruits, where they will serve as a valuable mulch.
Is nettle fertiliser good for grass? ›
Nettle slurry has natural weed-killing properties.
It's can also be a great repellent, fungicide and fertiliser, as long as you adapt the recipe to match your needs.
How often should I use nettle fertiliser? ›
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.
Can you use stinging nettle for anything? ›
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.
