Nettles As Friends

Nettles are a misunderstood plant.

On walks in the woods, I used to fear Stinging Nettle bites just as much as I feared quicksand.

Turns out both of them aren’t really problems I deal with on a daily basis. When I’m around Nettles, being able to identify them by their stinging hairs prevents an unwanted brush-up. (The sting itself can even be a helper. North American First Nations people traditionally used fresh, young stinging nettle to “whip" eczema and arthritis.)

Nettles are easy to harvest and the perfect Spring food. After a long winter of relative hibernation and inactivity, we need nettles get us moving in the spring. They give a boost of energy and their salty taste means they are mineral rich. They’re the wild plant with the most protein content in the Pacific Northwest, and also give you a good portion of minerals, iron, and protein.

Nettles can be found in disturbed areas & along roads as well as in meadows, edge of forests, stream banks, and woodlands. Where there is one nettle there are many, making bountiful harvests easy.

Harvesting Nettle

To keep your hands safe from Nettle while harvesting, wear gloves and cut the Nettle at the node (where the stem connects to the leaves) with scissors or a similar harvesting tool.

If you intend to harvest Nettle for teas, infusions, or tincture, harvested Nettle is good up until it flowers. After it flowers, it sends out a warning to you through a stronger sting and less pleasant taste, and it even looks unfriendly. This is to communicate it needs to be left alone and allowed to go to seed. When in seed, you may harvest the seed for an excellent addition to smoothies, gruel or just eat them raw as an adrenal support supplement and kidney tonic.

If your intention is to eat Nettle as a wild food, harvest Nettle leaf when it is newly emerged in Spring. The flavor is at its optimum and even the sting is reduced! You can use Nettle in wild food recipes such as pesto, salts, soups, and veggie dishes. Below are two favorite recipes.

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Fresh Wild Greens Pesto Recipe

You’ll need:
2-4 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cups fresh nettle or dandelion greens
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
a dash of salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
1/4 cup ground walnuts or pine nuts

Place oil, garlic and salt in a blender, mortar and pestle, or food processor (whatever you have is fine) along with half of the greens.
Blend well and then add the remaining greens. When combined it should have a good consistency but will still be a little runny.
Pour into a bowl and add the desired amount of nuts and cheese for consistency and lemon juice if desired.

Nettle Omelet

3 fresh eggs
½ to ¾ cup cooked nettles, pat with paper towel to reduce liquid
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp better
¼ cup of cheddar cheese, optional
½ tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp dried thyme

In a bowl, whisk eggs and add seasonings. Bring an oiled skillet to medium/high heat, add eggs, and twirl pan to allow eggs to cover the bottom of skillet in a thin layer.
Sprinkle cheese on the egg mixture.
Spoon nettles onto one half of the egg mixture and cover. Reduce heat to medium/low and allow to cook slowly until all eggs are cooked.

With a large spatula, fold the cheese-only side onto the nettle side of omelette. For maximum fluffed eggs, add one tablespoon of water to the bottom of hot skillet and cover quickly. Steam for two minutes.