stinging nettlez

Seems like suddenly, the nettles are ready for picking…..and so I picked some today. What a glorious green smell they have when first picked. One of my favourite nettle patches grows down by the pond. Stinging nettles love low wet areas near ponds and streams and at my place, they often grow with their good friend, the Alder tree. So, if you live in my neck of the woods, that’s where you need to look.

I wear rubber gloves to pick my nettles so I don’t get stung….my regular garden gloves don’t protect as well. I know some people who aren’t as sensitive as I am to the ‘sting’ and so they aren’t as concerned as I am about wearing their gloves. I’ve also heard that a little bit of the sting can be good for you, but I sure don’t like it.
The scene of a bright luscious green nettle patch at this time of year is so exciting…one of the first new growth crops of the year to harvest. And I really appreciate that nature’s garden looks after itself, all I have to do is harvest and prepare ….glorious….. no seeding, no transplanting, no weeding! Thank you green faeries of the forest for looking after the garden for me and producing such a delicious and nutritious green food for our early spring eating.
My bag is almost full here and when I came in, I weighed out a harvest of over a lb. of stinging nettles….I’ll make a lovely soup with this and when I find a few minutes in the next couple days, I’ll post my simple nettle soup recipe here. I always make a soup with my first harvest and then usually a quiche or a lasagna, pesto with the following ones…..
Later, I’ll gather nettles to dry and make into teas or to sprinkle on next winter’s meals and some more for the freezer to add to future quiches and pastas. What abundance the forest gives us!