Growing/Harvesting Nettle

You will commonly see Nettle growing in thick patches in fertile damp soil and semi-shaded areas such as near river beds, creaks, ponds, lakes, along forest trails and sometimes in your yard or garden. It can be found throughout North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. It is an herbaceous perennial with single stocks growing anywhere between 2-10 feet tall. The leaves are dark green with serrated edges. Some varieties have round shaped leaves while others are narrow and long but they all form a sharp tip and have stinging hairs especially on the underside of the leaves. The green or purplish stems are square with opposite leaves. [6] In early to late summer the plant starts to produce tiny pearl-like cream colored flowers which bloom under the leaves and attract a wide variety of bees, butterflies, moths, lady birds and many other insects.

Late winter and early spring are the most ideal times to harvest nettle. You want to harvest the new growth and tender tops of the plant before the plant starts to flower. Avoid harvesting this plant while in bloom as the plant develops cystoliths which are gritty particles that can irritate the kidneys. [7] 

The fine hairs do contain formic acid which causes skin dermatitis and minor stinging for an hour or two so be sure to wear gloves, long sleeves and jeans or thick pants when harvesting or hiking through it. Clip the plant about 1/3-1/2 way down with pruners and place in a basket or paper bag. You can cook with the fresh leaves, freeze them, juice them or make fresh vinegar and tincture infusions. Otherwise, dry the leaves to store and use throughout the year. The stinging acid degrades quickly in the drying process or with heat making it safe to consume and handle.

You can propagate stinging nettle if you provide it with rich moist soil and semi-shade. Re-plant the root/rhizome or lightly sprinkle the seeds in your yard, bed or in a pot. You may need to contain it to prevent it from taking over your yard or garden. Also try and keep it away from the reach of young children.

Using Fresh Nettle

Fresh nettle can be used just like you would use any other green such as spinach or kale. You just need to slightly cook it to diminish the stinging properties from the plant. Lightly blanch, steam, bake or boil for about 15-20 minutes and nettle will be ready to eat. A vigorous blend into a puree will also diminish the sting making nettle safe to eat uncooked. Use along with or in place of your usual greens in soups, stews, stir fries, cooked salads, casseroles, pasta, lasagna, pesto, hummus, quiche, etc. You can even freeze the fresh leaves and thaw them out as needed.

Nettle Juice

Take fresh leaves and put in your juicer. Drink immediately or freeze in ice cube trays and/or small containers to thaw out as needed. You can also preserve the fresh juice with 25% alcohol and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. [8] If you have access to other fresh edible herbs and greens you can also include them with the nettle.

Wild Herb Juice (all fresh herbs)

1 part nettle leaves

� part chickweed, cleavers

� part dandelion greens and flowers, plantain leaves

Add a fresh sprig of rosemary, some fresh ginger or mint for added flavor and health benefits.

Place all ingredients in your juicer and enjoy this delicious and highly nourishing juice. If needed, freeze or preserve the juice as mentioned above.

Nettle Pesto (Pesto d'urtica)

1-2 cups olive oil (use less for a dip or spread and more for a sauce)

� cup pine nuts

2-3 cloves of garlic

3-4 cups of fresh nettle greens

1 cup dandelion flowers (optional)

� cup grated parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine oil, nuts and garlic into a blender or food processer and blend until creamy. Slowly add fresh nettle greens and puree well. Remove from blender and mix in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Steamed Nettle Greens

Steam fresh nettle leaves until fully cooked, usually about 15 minutes. Toss with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and either feta or goat cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Saut�ed Garlic Nettles

Gently saut� fresh nettle greens with sliced or minced garlic and butter or your favorite cooking oil for 15 minutes. Add a splash of lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

Nettle Salad

Steam or saut� fresh nettle leaves with red bell peppers and carrots. Toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese. Add dried cranberry, walnuts, sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds if desired.

Pickled Nettles

Pickled nettles are a great and delicious way to preserve and eat fresh nettle without the sting. Loosely fill a mason jar about � - � full with the fresh young leaves of the plant. I also really enjoy adding a couple cloves of garlic, sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary, 1-2 bay leaves, some peppercorns and a pinch of salt for added flavor. Fill the jar with your choice of food grade vinegar making sure the nettle leaves are free flowing and completely covered. Let it sit for 8-12 weeks. Eat the pickled leaves as they are or add to salads, stir fries, cold pasta dishes, etc. Use the leftover vinegar in salad dressings or marinades.

Fresh Nettle Tincture

Loosely fill a mason jar � full of fresh nettle leaves. You can use whole leaves or chop into smaller pieces. Fill the jar with your alcohol of choice (i.e. vodka, rum, brandy, grape, grain, etc) leaving about an inch from the top. Stir the leaves and release any air bubbles. You want the herb to be able to move freely in the jar. Seal and store in a cool, dark and dry place for 4-6 weeks, shaking daily. Strain using cheese or muslin cloth or a fine stainless steel mesh strainer. Store your extract in a colored glass dropper bottle. Take anywhere from a few drops up to 3 droppers full 1-3 times a day for general support. If using to reduce an allergic reaction take every 1-2 hours or as needed until symptoms subside.

Nourishing Vinegar

1 part nettle, horsetail

� part rosemary, dandelion leaf

� part alfalfa, dandelion flowers (if available), calendula

Optional: Add additional culinary herbs and a small amount of garlic and onion

To make: chop all herbs into a mason jar and completely saturate with apple cider vinegar until there is at least 1 inch of extra vinegar covering the herbs. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks shaking daily. Strain the herbs using a stainless steel mesh strainer, cheese cloth or muslin and use as a marinade or incorporate into your cooking and salad dressings. Use fresh herbs when available; otherwise, the dried herbs will be great to use as well.

Vinegar Hair and Skin Rinse

1 pt each nettle, horsetail

� pt each sage, rosemary

� part mint

Fill a jar about � full of chopped herbs and cover completely with apple cider vinegar. Stir to release air bubbles and make sure all herbs are saturated. Let it sit for 1-2 weeks, shaking daily. Strain the herbs using a stainless steel mesh strainer, cheese cloth or muslin. Use the vinegar infusion as a hair wash/rinse or store it in a spray bottle to spray in the hair and on your skin. Overtime, the herbs will strengthen and stimulate healthy hair, nail and skin growth. Use fresh herbs when available; otherwise, the dried herbs will be great to use as well.

Using Dried Nettle

Dry your nettle harvest and store in jars for use all year long. You can also purchase dried nettle from any herb store, many natural grocery stores and online. Add dried nettle directly into your food. I especially like to add handfuls of the leaves in my soups, stews, sauces, beans, lentils and grains. Try sprinkling a small amount in eggs, potatoes, on salads, pizza and pasta dishes. Mix in with cream cheese or goat cheese spreads and serve on a bagel, wrap, crackers or in cream cheese puffs. You can make nettle tea and use it as a water substitute in your general cooking or mix nettle leaf powder in your smoothies, juice, yogurt, hot cereals, nut butter balls, etc. The culinary possibilities are endless for this delicious and nutritious plant.

Nettle Tea

Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add 1-1 � tbsp of dried nettle or 2-3 tbsp of fresh leaves per 8 ounces of water depending on how strong you like your tea. Cover and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Strain out or remove the leaves and enjoy a delicious, rich and nourishing cup of tea. You can allow the tea to infuse overnight or up to 8 hours for an even stronger and more nourishing beverage. If you enjoy sun teas, let the tea infuse in the sun. Allowing a longer steep will infuse even more vitamins and minerals from the nettle. You can always gently warm the tea up on the stove until you start to see steam rise if you prefer to drink your tea hot.

Calcium Tea

1 part nettle, oatstraw

� part horsetail

� part rooibos, comfrey leaf

You can also add a small amount of mint, cinnamon or ginger for added flavor.

Follow instructions above for making tea infusion.

Nutritive-Rich Tea

1 part nettle, oatstraw

� part red clover, red raspberry, rooibos, rosehips, marshmallow root

� part alfalfa, dandelion leaf

You can also add a small amount of mint, cinnamon or ginger for added flavor.

Follow instructions above for making tea infusion.

Iron Syrup

� cup nettle leaf

2 tbsp dandelion leaf, rose hips

1 tbsp Alfalfa, yellow dock, dandelion root, orange peel

Bring 20 oz of water to a boil on the stove and add yellow dock and dandelion root. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add all other herbs and more water if needed. All herbs should be completely covered and be able to move freely in the pot. Let the infusion sit covered for 6-8 hours. Strain and add �-1/3 part honey. You can also add molasses for added iron, calcium and potassium support. Store in the fridge and take 1 tbsp 1-3 times daily.

Nutritive Oil

1 part nettle

� part burdock root, parsley

� part rosemary, thyme, dandelion leaf

1/8 part sage, oregano, alfalfa

Add all herbs into a mason jar and completely saturate with your favorite cooking oil (i.e. olive oil, avocado oil, etc) until there is at least 1 inch extra oil covering the herbs. Let the herbs infuse for 2-3 weeks shaking or stirring daily. Strain and incorporate into your cooking or salad dressings. After straining, you can also include a small amount of more nutritive and omega rich oil(s) such as flax, hemp or pumpkin seed but keep in mind these oils are more easily perishable and heat sensitive and would be most appropriate for cold food recipes such as salad dressings, pasta salad, pesto, hummus, etc.

Nettle Powder

You can easily and creatively add nettle leaf powder to many meals including smoothies, juice, yogurt, oatmeal or other hot cereals, baked goods such as breads and desserts, crackers, cream sauces, nut butter spreads, herbal nut butter balls, honey, etc. Or try the following Superfood Powder Recipe below...

Superfood Powder Blend

1 part nettle powder

� part dandelion lf powder, astragalus root powder, maca root powder (optional for energy)

� part alfalfa powder, raw cacao powder

1/8 part spirulina powder and ginger or cinnamon powder for flavor (optional)

Nettle Butter Crackers

1 � cups whole wheat flower

� cup oats, ground

� tsp salt

� cup creamy peanut or almond butter

1/3 cup water (or substitute nettle tea for added nutrition)

2 tbsp nettle powder

� tsp cinnamon powder

1 tbsp molasses (optional)

Honey to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and mix together all ingredients. Roll dough out on wax paper until it is as thin as you can get it. Use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes or cut into bite sized pieces. Place on cookie sheet and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and bake for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Fun Facts and Nettle Lore [9] 

The Latin name of the nettle Urtica comes from the word 'uro' which means to burn. The latin name of the plant dioica means 'two houses'. This refers to the fact that the male and female flowers are normally carried on separate plants. It is possible that the 'nettle' is derived from Noedl meaning a needle, referring to the stinging mechanism in the nettle plant. Others suggest that it comes from the Latin nere and other similar old European verbs meaning to sew.

If you get stung by nettle when harvesting it, apply the milky sap from inside the stem to reduce and neutralize the irritation.  

Roman soldiers posted in Britain were reputed to have brushed their limbs with nettles so the stings would warm them in the cold climate.

Native American braves would flog themselves with nettles to keep themselves awake while on watch.

Nettles were often hung in bunches in larders because of their fly repellent properties.

Horse breeders have often added nettle seeds to horse feeds to give the animals a sleek coat.

"Within the Buckingham Palace gardens nettles play an important role in the wildlife habitat areas providing a valuable food source for caterpillars."

Mark Lane - Head Gardener, Buckingham Palace

Interesting and Fun Nettle Quotes

"When in doubt, use Nettle"

David Hoffman at the International Herb Symposium [10] 

"Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety."

William Shakespeare

"Tender handed stroke a nettle, and it stings you for your pains; Grasp it like a man of mettle, and it soft as silk remains."

Aaron Hill

"For the courage of greatness is adventurous and knows not withdrawing, but grasps the nettle, danger, with resolute hands, and ever again gathers security from the sting of pain."

Vera Brittain