nettle tea

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That cooked nettle was so delicious that I'm now going to cordon off the area there so the nettles can continue to grow without danger of being mowed again.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That cooked nettle was so delicious that I'm now going to cordon off the area there so the nettles can continue to grow without danger of being mowed again.

Update, one year later....
Now it's the following Spring. The nettles have been coming up nicely in that area that I cordoned off. They were growing all fresh and bushy and tender, about 7" tall.
I snipped off the top 3" of most of the shoots, and had enough for one big bowl of the nettle tops simmered in water for a couple minutes. I added a pinch of sea salt and a pat of butter. YUM!!!!!!!!!! I think they are even better than steamed fresh spinach. I know they are supposed to be incredibly nutritious.
Next week I'll probably have enough for another serving!

[chryss]

I snipped off the top 3" of most of the shoots, and had enough for one big bowl of the nettle tops simmered in water for a couple minutes. I added a pinch of sea salt and a pat of butter. YUM!!!!!!!!!! I think they are even better than steamed fresh spinach. I know they are supposed to be incredibly nutritious.

When I was a child we used to gather nettles and my grandmother used them mixed with spinach or in soups. Mhhhh!

[Kitsune06]

Here's a snippet from one of my favorite blogs. I wish I'd have known the things were edible when I was a kid. The fact would have enabled me to exact the perfect revenge on plants that stung me around my favorite fishing spots.

[Susan]

I use nettles too, they are growing in my garden next to other healthy herbs. I like the spinach-version more than the tea. I sometimes mix the nettles into ordinary spinach if I don't have enough of them.

My grandfather always said that it's "healthy" to get stung by nettles and it can help if you have stiff fingers or other joints. Maybe he just wanted to calm me down when I was crying because of the stinging as a kid, though

[Pax]

Update, one year later....
Now it's the following Spring. The nettles have been coming up nicely in that area that I cordoned off. They were growing all fresh and bushy and tender, about 7" tall.
I snipped off the top 3" of most of the shoots, and had enough for one big bowl of the nettle tops simmered in water for a couple minutes. I added a pinch of sea salt and a pat of butter. YUM!!!!!!!!!! I think they are even better than steamed fresh spinach. I know they are supposed to be incredibly nutritious.
Next week I'll probably have enough for another serving!

How cool to eat and enjoy something from your yard that supposed to be a "weed".

[Biciclista]

how the heck do you gather these things? I know they're good to eat but...OUCH

[Stushica]

I drink a good bit of nettle as well as mullen leaf tea in the spring to help with allergies, personally i think it's pretty icky tasteing stuff but not nearly as bad as not breathing lol. I think i'll scout for some to eat next time if it's a more tastey alternative. As far as the picking goes I'd use gloves! also if you get "stung" the inside of the leaf (the liquidy side) to can be used to relieve the sting.

[Catrin]

Nettles have been used for centuries in some parts of the world as a way to help regulate heavy menstrual flow, also given after childbirth. They are also quite yummy early in the season with a good garlic sauce - Eastern European comfort food

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My grandfather always said that it's "healthy" to get stung by nettles and it can help if you have stiff fingers or other joints.

I have honeybees for that. Apitherapy!

how the heck do you gather these things? I know they're good to eat but...OUCH

I set a big bowl down next to them, hold the top leaves with kitchen tongs, and snip the stem below it with scissors, toss them into the bowl with the tongs. Simply dump the bowlful into simmering water or broth.

Here are a couple of tender shoots from last year:

[chryss]

how the heck do you gather these things? I know they're good to eat but...OUCH

The "needles" are around the edge, so you can actually pinch them with index finger and thumb in the middle of the (top and bottom side of the) leaf without getting stung. Then you rip or better cut them off (with scissors) at the leaf stem and you get single leaves this way.

Or of rouse household rubber gloves .