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It’s officially spring! This week we are sharing our favorite tradition to mark the season: harvesting stinging nettles. If you have ever brushed against this plant and felt it’s sting, harvesting nettles might seem like a strange practice. In this post we are going to share all of the secrets we know about this amazing plant, including how to harvest and eat it without getting stung.

Watch “The Secrets of Stinging Nettle” on YouTube >

Meet Stinging Nettle

There are different types of nettles that grow in many parts of the world. Where we live in the Pacific Northwest the most common kind is Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica. The plant gets it’s name from the stinging rash that can happen when you brush against parts of the fresh plant. 

Stinging Nettle in the Landscape

Nettles are a perennial plant, meaning they return year after year from rhizomes in the ground. They die back each winter and begin growing again in early spring. By summer they make thick green patches.

Nettle Identification

Stinging nettle gets to be several feet tall and grows in thick patches. They have square stems and opposite leaves which means they grow across from each other alternating up the stem. The leaves themselves are very toothed. They have little hair-like structures on the underside. These contain formic acid and break easily when brushed - which is what causes the sting!

Nettle Ecology

Nettles like areas that are damp and disturbed. It can tolerate a wide range of soil types, but seem to be most abundant where the soil is very rich. 

Nettles and Wildlife

Many insects are attracted to nettles, including aphids (so if you have them near your garden, the nettles can attract the aphids away from your vegetables).  Other species of insects such as caterpillars and butterflies also like nettles. These in turn attract insect-eating birds and mammals. 

Uses for Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettles are a hearty leafy green vegetable that has been used for so many purposes by humans.

Traditional Uses for Nettle

Nettles have been used by human beings all over the world since time immemorial. Documentation has been found about boiled nettles being eaten by ancient people in Rome, Tibet, Ireland, and the United States. Nettle has also been used to treat ailments internally as well as externally for things like arthritis. One of it’s most enduring uses has been as a fiber for making cordage or as an alternative to flax or hemp in making fabric.

Modern and Commercial Uses for Nettle

According to WebMD, modern science has found many health benefits of nettles as well. They are high in antioxidants, vitamins A and C. Nettles are also a good source of iron, calcium, and other minerals. You can even buy nettle capsules.

Harvesting Stinging Nettle

Now that you know some of the benefits of nettles, are you ready to learn how to collect and use this plant?

When to Harvest Nettle

Early spring is the perfect time to harvest nettles for fresh eating and drying. This is when the plants are still young, maybe about a foot high. As they get older, they become more fibrous and the acid becomes more pronounced. At those later stages they are best harvested for cordage, or left for wildlife.

Ethical Harvesting Practices for Nettle

Have you ever heard of the “leave no trace” principles for hiking and camping? We think this approach works well for harvesting wild plants too. Think about trying to harvest in such a way that a casual passer-by would never even know you had been there. That usually means taking 20% - 30% of a total patch, but distributing your cuts throughout the area.

How to Harvest Nettle

While it’s possible to learn how to harvest and eat nettles raw without getting stung, we think the simplest way to collect them is with protection. We use gloves, scissors, and thick bags (we made these waxed canvas ones ourselves). This time of year, spring, is our favorite, when they are still fresh and tender. You just place the bag near the plant, and cut off the top few sets of leaves. Viola! 

Using Stinging Nettles at Home

The biggest secret about nettles is that the sting goes away when the leaves are cooked or dried.

Nettle leaves can be used in many different ways. They can easily be substituted for spinach or kale in any recipe. Our favorite way to start spring is by adding them to soup. Dried nettles are great for making teas and infusions.

If you want to add nettle to your diet, but don’t want to harvest your own, you can also find them readily available on the internet. As with all things, it’s important to find a trusted source. We recommend Mountain Rose Herbs. They have the best quality herbal products we’ve used and are very transparent about the sources of their products.