Nettles are easy to identify, but tricky to forage and prepare. Please wear gloves to prevent the stings from affecting you. Forage young, tender stinging nettles in early spring before they flower. Snip the top 4 to 6 inches of the plant with scissors, leaving the root intact for regrowth. Always wash and blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute to neutralize the sting.
Nettles are really nutritious! They are exceptionally dense in vitamins (A, C, K, and B-complex) and essential minerals, particularly calcium and iron. Nettles also contain all nine essential amino acids.
Here’s a great spring nettle recipe
150g nettle tops
2 tbsp butter
1 red onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 litre vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 heaped tbsp thick, plain yoghurt
¼ cup chives
Place the nettles in a pot of boiling water for one minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Chop the nettles and remove any thick stalks.
Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add onion, leek, celery and garlic. Cover and sweat for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the stock and turn up the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes and add the nettles. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the nettles are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Purée the soup and serve with a heaped tbsp of yogurt and garnish with chives.