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
225g white flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
60g butter, chilled and cubed
1 tbsp chopped chives or garlic scapes
40g strong cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
stinging nettles, chopped and blanched
2 tbsp plain yogurt
milk
Method
In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter.
Use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour mixture
Add the blanched nettles, cheese, yoghurt, and chives or garlic scapes to the bowl and mix together
Add small amounts of milk while stirring until a soft dough forms. The batter should not be sticky.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 3-4cm thick
Pat with your hands to round out the edges of the dough and ensure the circle is even
Cut into 6 wedges and brush the tops lightly with milk
Bake for 15 minutes at 430 degrees F
Recipe adapted from Slamsey’s Journal