Where:Â All of Sweden
When: Spring
What:Â Picking stinging nettle
Last spring, my Swedish neighbor asked if I wanted to join her in picking stinging nettle. I was surprised, but also curious. So, I decided to come along.
WHY PICK STINGING NETTLE?
Nettles are packed with vitamins A, C, D, and minerals like potassium, calcium, silicon, iron, and magnesium, making them a free superfood. They grow abundantly, so you’re not harming anyone by picking them. Plus, it’s a bit exciting to try something different and make tasty snack with these prickly weeds.
HOW TO HARVEST THE NETTLE?
Pick the young tops before the nettle blooms, as the quality of the leaves decreases during flowering. Make sure not to confuse stinging nettle with white dead nettle (Lamium album). Try to pick in places free of dog pee, because, well... The needles of a nettle grow upward at an angle, so if you pick them from bottom to top, you’ll feel less of the sting. You can also, like me, wear gardening gloves when picking. When you get home, cut the leaves from the stems and give them a good wash. Call me a wimp, but I also wear kitchen gloves for this, haha.
HOW TO PREPARE STINGING NETTLE?
You might have some reservations about eating this prickly plant, and I did too. If it feels so unpleasant to touch nettle, what happens to your mouth or intestines? Well, you don't have to worry about that. When the leaves are crushed or finely chopped, they no longer sting. I like to take an extra safety step; I blanch the leaves briefly before using them. Now I’m sure we won’t end up in a prickly situation.
There are all sorts of dishes you can make with nettle. You can dry the leaves on a clean cloth to use as tea. You can also rub the fresh leaves with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a lined baking tray and bake them briefly in the oven to make healthy chips. (keep an eye on it, they burn quickly).
NETTLE SOUP
I’ve made this soup a few times now. Since nettles shrink similar to spinach when cooked, you'll need a generous amount of leaves. To start, I sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper. Next, I add the nettles, allowing them to wilt slightly. Then, I pour in just enough water to achieve a soupy consistency and toss in some feta cheese for a rich, creamy finish. Finally, I blend it all together using an immersion blender until smooth.
NETTLE PESTO
My favorite recipe is nettle pesto. For this, I blend the blanched nettle leaves with a clove of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, a small handful of walnuts, and a small piece of Parmesan cheese with my immersion blender. Add some more olive oil if it’s difficult to mix. I like to eat the pesto with a piece of bread, on pizza or pasta, or I eat it as a sauce with some grilled vegetables. Super tasty.
NETTLE SEEDS
The green, unripe seeds that grow in clusters on the plant later in the year are also very healthy. The vitamins and minerals found in the leaves are in concentrated form in the seeds. To eat them, you need to dry them well on a clean cloth. This takes quite a long time because there is a lot of oil in the seeds. Once dried, you can sieve them to remove any remaining debris and stems. You can now add them as a topping on a salad, a bowl of yogurt, or in a smoothie. Take about a teaspoon per day.
After my neighbor taught me all she knew about stinging nettle, I've been out more often picking this prickly but flavorful vitamin bomb. It's funny how we're okay with something like spinach but overlook this healthy, abundantly available plant as an edible option. Anyway, I'm definitely going to cook with stinging nettle more often. Curious if you dare to give it a try too :-)
HELPFUL LINKS:
Nutritional facts about stinging nettle:
Information about Allemansrätten:
Kommentarer