WILD
FOODIES' HOME PAGE
PLANT PROFILE LIST
NAME: Stinging Nettle
SPECIES / FAMILY: Urtica Dioica / Urticaceae
OTHER COMMON NAME(S):
CONDITIONS:
partial shade, moist soil
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PARTS: |
EDIBLE |
TASTE |
RAW/COOK |
SEASON |
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All |
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Shoots |
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spinach |
COOK |
Spring & Fall |
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Leaves |
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spinach |
COOK |
Spring & Fall |
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Buds/Flowers |
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Fruits |
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Roots |
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Seeds |
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Nuts |
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Pods |
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Stalk |
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Bark |
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PORTION: medium
COMMENT: Nettles are a very valuable addition to the diet, they are a very nutritious food that is easily digested and is high in minerals (especially iron) and vitamins (especially A and C) A tea is made from the dried leaves, it is warming on a winters day. A bland flavour, it can be added as a tonic to China tea. The juice of the leaves, or a decoction of the herb, can be used as a rennet substitute in curdling plant milks. Nettle beer is brewed from the young shoots.(1) New shoots appear in Spring and Fall. Use young leaves before flowering, as vegetable or tea. “…soaking, cooking, refrigerating, wilting or drying neutralizes the plant’s sting.” (2)
CAUTIONS: Only eat before it flowers. Avoid during pregnancy and other cautions (1) // stinging hairs can be painful and last hours, use crushed or chewed leaves of jewelweed, plantain, or dock to help remove pain. When NOT to eat Stinging Nettle: https://www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk/when-not-to-eat-nettles/ At this stage it is best to quote John Wright (from his Hedgerow book) as he says it so well and thoroughly:
'At the first sign of flowers you must stop picking. The plant will now start producing cystoliths - microscopic rods of calium carbonate - which can be absorbed by the body where they will mechanically interfere with kidney function.'
NUTRITION/MEDICINAL: Young leaves - cooked. Very nutritious and with a delicious flavour, they are used like spinach (1)
- https://draxe.com/stinging-nettle/
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/stinging-nettle-uses-and-risks#1
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Ordinary Plants with Extraordinary Properties - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100552
LOOK-A-LIKES: False Nettle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehmeria
POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: White Snakeroot - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageratina_altissima
OTHER USES: used for fiber, also as fodder for livestock and to make tea, beer, rennet, and a plant dye.
- http://www.wildfibres.co.uk/html/nettle_hemp.html#european-nettle-fibre
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica#Textiles_and_fibre
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5zgizOgAtq0Zj4hYxbzGSrZ3hoob9gOh Sally Pointer videos
- The Nettle Dress - https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-05-25/the-nettle-dress
- https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/turning-nettles-into-textiles-zbcz2101
SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):
- https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Urtica+dioica
- http://www.eattheweeds.com/urtica-chamaedryoides-nettle-knowledge-2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica
- http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/04/stinging-nettle.html (good photos)
- http://www.ediblewildfood.com/stinging-nettle.aspx
- https://www.gettystewart.com/how-to-harvest-dry-freeze-use-stinging-nettle/
- https://thegrownetwork.com/stinging-nettle-benefits-uses
- https://thethingswellmake.com/stinging-nettle-recipes-20-surprising-things-make-nettles (recipes)
- https://www.wideopeneats.com/stinging-nettles-recipes (recipes)
- https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/nettle_soup (recipes)
- https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/stinging-nettle-pesto (recipes)
- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/165071/stinging-nettle-soup (recipes)
- https://www.thespruceeats.com/sauteed-stinging-nettles-2217561 (recipes)
- https://www.thekitchn.com/stinging-nettles-8-recipes-for-145582 (recipes)
- https://honest-food.net/grasping-the-nettle
- https://italyonmymind.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/stinging-nettle-pasta-spring-at-the-collingwood-childrens-farm-farmers-market
- https://commonsensehome.com/stinging-nettle