Nettles just might be my all time favorite edible plant. At Growing Lots, we work so hard cultivating all the veggies that make their way to our plates. Nettles however, just show up for us! Nettles are among the first edible plants to break ground with their bright green nutrient dense leaves each spring. When I’m weary of winter their early arrival makes my hungry heart soar! Despite their “weedy nature” and temporary stinging qualities they couldn’t be a more welcome gift.

This entire plant is edible! Nettles are a great source of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Because of their extraordinary nutrient density the first thing I use nettles for is nettle broth or soup! I think of these recipes as spring tonics! I can easily cook them up in my eggs for breakfast or make a nettle quiche that I can enjoy through out the week. I also love celebrate spring by treating myself to a couple novel nettle dishes like farro pasta with nettle sausage or nettle ravioli! Keeping their super food qualities in mind they make excellent additions to smoothies. It’s also easy to think of nettles as a green that’s interchangeable with cooked spinach therefore nettles do well in palak paneer or simply steamed/ sautéed with garlic! Being that a good nettle patch is typically very productive I will keep harvesting nettles through out the spring and early summer to preserve in a few ways. The easiest way to preserve nettles is to dry them for tea. You can also grind dried nettle leaves up to use as a super food powder to add to soups and smoothies through out the year. Lastly I freeze them! You can blanch and freeze nettles to store as is or you can whip up a batch of nettle pesto to freeze for quick snack dips, pasta’s and savory pastries!

Soups

Nettle Broth

Nettle Sausage and white Bean Soup

Pastas

Farro Pasta with Nettles and Sausage

Nettle Ravioli

Nettle super food smoothies

Foraged Tropical Nettle Smoothie

Palak paneer

Nettle Palak Paneer

sautéed

Saute'ed Stinging Nettles