Nettles as food

Nettles as food

The weather is better now, the mist cleared away and the sun is shining. So is spring here now and will it stay???

Spring is usually the time for a spring clean in the house after the long winter and it is a good idea to do this with the body as well to get rid of all the bad effects of overeating during Christmas and Easter. You might even be able to get rid of the fat around your waist you accumulated during the whole of winter. A good way of doing this is by eating nettles.

Yes, I'm talking about the WEED in your garden or even the one you find in woods and fields. It is actually quite delicious. I pick the early leaves in spring and add them to salads. I use gloves to pick them. They have to be washed carefully and then I cut the whole tip in very fine strips. The salad dressing takes the sting out of them a bit but not entirely. I actually quite like it when it tingles a little bit in the mouth. It saves me putting salt in the dressing.

If you are a bit more sensitive about that you can actually boil them. They are nice with cooked rice, in soups or alone as a soup. Some people say they cook just like spinach, but I don't think so.

If I do a soup I only use the leaves because the stalks can be quite woody.

Here is a recipe but you can also experiment. You can decide on the quantity.

Fry a diced onion in a bit of sunflower oil then add the thoroughly washed nettles and let it sweat for a bit longer. Fill up with COLD water or stock (or use a stock cube) and add some cut up potatoes. Let it boil till the potatoes are soft and then mash with a blender. You can also leave it chunky. Season to taste and you have a wonderful soup.

You can also use nettles for a healthy infusion by just washing some sprigs, putting them in a mug and pouring some boiling water over it. Leave to brew for 10 minutes and drink hot. This is very cleansing so be prepared to go to the loo.

I love nettles, they are not only a beautiful plant, they are also a very useful source of food for many insects, and for you, if you want. They contain iron, vitamin A, silica, calcium and lot of other minerals. Apart from that they contain other substances which help the body to stay healthy and deal with a lot of health issues.

My mother used to tell me that a nettle sting was good against rheumatism when I was complaining after being stung. Well, I don't know if that is true or scientifically proven but I haven't had any trouble so far, but I can remember being out in the garden and weeding hip-high nettles with bare hands. This was an experience! Now I do wear gloves to pick them for my meals.