Nettle season has come around once again, and I couldn’t be any happier about it. Just about the time I’m starting to wonder when Winter will finally take its leave, these wonderful green heralds of Spring come up all over the woods, offering a nutrient-rich, rejuvenating food source with seemingly endless health benefits. They may be prickly, they may have an unpleasant reputation with some, but I can’t deny that I LOVE nettles! Give them to me steamed, steeped or sauteed; in soups, in stir-fries, in scrambles or in tea. I’ve even heard talk of nettle beer and nettle pesto, which sound delightful to me!
I went picking with some friends one morning this last week, and we set to work with gloves, baskets, bags and scissors harvesting some fresh, green goodness and catching up on chatting.
With gloved hands, we gingerly collected the young plants popping up among the brown leaves of last Autumn. When gathering nettles this early in the year, mostly all the plants are just perfectly tender, but if you go later in the season, be sure to look for the new ones and leave the old, tough stalks alone.
The patch we picked in stretched out as far as we could see along the edge of the woods, so we filled those baskets pretty quickly without having to wander around. When you go out wildcrafting, it’s good to follow ethical practices, like picking from a large patch with no risk of being wiped out by your harvest, snipping or snapping off the top part of the plant while leaving the rhizome undisturbed (do not pull up), avoiding high-traffic or fragile areas like city parks, and leaving plenty behind to grow. You want to make sure your patch will be there when you come back next year and when your children want to pick there someday.
I went home happy with a full basket of nettles; plenty to cook fresh this week and dry by the woodstove to store in the pantry for the coming year. With a few more harvesting expeditions I should be set with my years supply. You can see it written all over my face, I’m just a nettle lovin’ fool.
There is much to smile about, for tomorrow is the first day of Spring!
I just can't find any 'round here, although I'm sure they are there. Perhaps it isn't time yet? I don't know, but I did order some stinging nettle seed so I'll have them some how or way! I've been reading the book The Foragers Harvest by Samuel Thayer, and it's been wonderful. It's got me excited to begin foraging.
Growing nettles from seed sounds like fun! They make an excellent garden plant too. I learned a lot about foraging from local wild foods teachers offering walks at arboretums and parks and such. You can also take your guidebook and go poking around out in the woods to see what you have growing in your region.