Be Nice to Nettles

In celebration of "Be Nice To Nettles Week" (May 19-30, 2010), I thought I would treat you all to a rather lengthy (and belated) blog post on the miraculous properties of the Stinging Nettle plant.

Stinging Nettle is an edible plant that happily grows wild in Ontario. As a garden weed, it is notorious for its hair-like needles; even just lightly brushing against the plant will illicit an immediate skin rash reaction. My naturopathic doctor recommended nettle tea as a nutritive tonic, as it is high in iron, among other vitamins and minerals. But nettle tea can be used medicinally in many other ways: to relieve seasonal allergy symptoms, as a diuretic, for arthritis, etc. If you steep the tea for a few hours, it turns a gorgeous deep green colour.

But the coolest thing about this edible is that it grows wild in the city. It turns out that a coffee shop on my street has a very prolific nettle bush behind their patio.

Armed with a pair of scissors and gloves, I cut down a few stalks and stashed them in my bike basket. If you're planning on drying the leaves for long-term storage, harvest the leaves when it hasn't rained for a couple of days. This will help avoid mold from leaf moisture.

Stinging nettle is mostly commonly consumed as a tea (fresh or dried leaves), but the leaves can also be eaten cooked. In fact, if you pinch the fresh, raw leaves from the top (where there are no needles), you can fold the leaves and place them directly in your mouth for a tasty and daring snack.

Nettle should be harvested in early to mid spring. Once the weather heats up and nettles have flowered, they are inedible. However, you can still use it as a nutritive foliar fertilizer. Simply cut down the plant, place in a bucket and cover with water, steep for at least 24 hours, strain and spray directly on plant leaves.

So now you know there are other alternatives to ripping out that nettle plant from the earth. Nuture it, take only what you need, and you will be rewarded in kind.