Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Stinging Nettle is a perennial weed that returns each year after remaining dormant during the winter. It is fairly easy to find as it grows in moist woodlands, thickets, open areas, streambanks, and disturbed areas.
The leaves are covered with tiny, hollow, pointed hairs that contain small amounts of formic acid which can cause itching and burning if touched. For this reason we recommend using gloves or tongs when collecting and working with raw stinging nettle.
But don’t let that deter you! Heating or drying the leaves makes them perfectly safe to touch and delicious to eat! Stinging nettle has a mild taste quite similar to spinach, but without an iron flavour.
It is best harvested in the spring, before the plant starts flowering. New, younger leaves are better in taste, as the leaves can become quite bitter once the plant has started flowering Try it in soup, pesto, tea, or just sauteed.
Before foraging, take a look at our Sustainable Foraging Guide!
Culture Connection
ᒪᓵᐣ Masân
Although stinging nettle is often seen as something to avoid, many nations learned how to cook it and use it as medicine. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) boiled it to use for a seasoned vegetable dish.
The Nîhithaw (Woodland Cree) also boiled the plant and used it as an aid in childbirth recovery. Members of Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) used the roots as a diuretic, and the Anishnaabe (Ojibway) would soak the leaves and use them as a treatment for heat rash.
Ingredients
~ 10 cups of young stinging nettle leaves
2 cups cottage cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1 tbsp
1 egg
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Dill and thyme
Single pie crust shell
1/4 cup pine nuts
Salt and pepper
Method
Collect young nettle leaves in the spring before the plant has flowered. The new leaves that are close to the top of the plant are best. Make sure to wear gloves when you collect them to avoid a sting!
Using kitchen tongs, rinse the leaves in a sink of cold water, swishing them around to get any debris off
Blanch the nettles in a pot of clean boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, or until bright green in colour. Drain and immediately transfer the leaves to a bowl of cold water.
Dry the leaves very well. You can use a salad spinner or paper towel for this.
Combine the cottage cheese, lemon zest, fresh nutmeg, parmesan cheese, egg, feta cheese, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Mix until creamy.
In a medium skillet, heat the butter and oil. Saute the chopped onion and garlic until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes, and add the mushrooms. After the mushrooms have browned, add the dill and thyme to taste.
Remove from heat and add the nettles and cottage cheese mixture.
Pour into a greased pie shells and top with the pine nuts and 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese
Bake at 375 F for about 45 minutes or until everything is set.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving
View a more detailed account of making this recipe here.