The nettles are up! The nettles are up! I have heard this jubilant cry from many beaming faces in the last few weeks…Everyone in the know has their own favorite way of finding and preparing this wondrous plant and we all know that when we eat it, drink it, juice it, dry it, pickle it or even wash our hair with it we feel REALLY good. It is a sure sign of spring here in our Southern Gulf Islands. A welcome tonic filled with green vitality to restore us to health and vibrancy after those long cold gray winter days. It pours forth its blessings as food, fiber and medicine and has proven itself for centuries especially in Scotland and England where it has been called upon for everything from making bed sheets to beer. Nettles aka stinging nettles aka Urtica Dioica has to be one of the most nutrient filled plants I have ever come across. With its deep green, sometimes purplish leaves it is a great source of iron, calcium magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, as well as many trace minerals. A 100 gms of cooked nettles provide you with 2900 mg of Calcium and 41mg of Iron. WOW. It truly is one of nature’s superfoods. Harvest the new tender growth or just the tops of them when they get a bit older. Look for them in cool shady moist areas. But what about that sting you say?? Well be careful when you harvest it, use gloves for sure although I must admit I really like getting a few stings…just a few every year.. Also tread lightly and remember to selectively snip as nettles provide habitat for others in our ecosystems especially some endangered butterflies. Harvest in a way that when someone else comes by, no one will even be able to tell you have been there. Remember to say thank you before you start to pick, during and after. Great communication is the basis of all good relationships! Yellow dock often grown near nettles, and the leaves can be chewed up and put on the stings, there is an old rhyme that goes:
Nettle in Dock out Dock Rub Nettle Out!
Use nettles as you would spinach in a soup or just steam them on their own. Add a bit of celtic salt and a pinch of cayenne. yum yum! I just had Nettle Lasagna with my neighbor. Did you know that in my observations that if you share nettles in a meal with someone, you will likely be friends for a loooooong time! You can run nettles through your juicer if you really want to know what an inner zing is! They make an amazing green juice that is high in serotonin. Serotonin aides in creating a peaceful feeling. The first time I juiced nettles a friend and I drank about a cup each and we got sooo peaceful we both dozed off quite quickly. ( it was the middle of the day..) so perhaps nettle juice should come with a warning..or just try a little bit at first. For years I have used Nettles as a final rinse for my hair and wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I have very little grey hair even in my 50's
I always bring nettle tea to my friends who have just given birth, not only does it help replenish nutrients and build the blood back up but it also is known for increasing mother’s milk. Nettles are a natural diuretic and fresh nettles contain a lot of Vitamin K so it can help arrest excessive bleeding. It is a great plant for women at all stages of life, for its calcium and iron and for men too it can help reduce an enlarged prostrate. For those on blood thinners they may want to be cautious as nettles can have the same action.
Not only is this a master plant in the food and vitamin department but one can make cloth from its fibers. I had a friend years ago that carried a small hand spinner and was always spinning nettle. Gandhi would be proud! In the 1600’s in Scotland you could sleep in nettle sheets! Now there is a project! Here is some more info on nettle fiber http://www.swicofil.com/products/016nettle.html
In England they have a whole week called be nice to Nettles week. You can go to the website and take a nettle quiz and after completing it I discovered that I was a nicely nettley!! It is fun and informative: www.nettles.org.uk Dry some nettles too to use in teas for the rest of the year They have a very rich taste and are great on their own or mix them with a bit of peppermint or lemon balm. And soon I am sure I will run into you and hear the nettles are up! The nettles are up!!
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