Nettle+ soup!
There’s such high nutritional value in these Spring greens! Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is rich in vitamins A and C, iron and remarkably they are over 5% protein! I keep a patch of Nettle in the garden as a cut-and-come again vegetable, you can harvest / forage Stinging Nettles from March - July. The young tender stems are the best, and I harvest just the top 3 sets of leaves. If you’re wary of the sting, use scissors and wear gloves for comfort.
But, if you can go slow, I would encourage you to try without gloves… it’s the herbalist’s way. Pick from underneath, there are no stings there and just pinch out the tips. If you can slow down and pick mindfully like this you’ll get the benefits of a deeper connection with the natural world and herbs for healing - mind and body.
In July, when the plants flower I stop harvesting the leaves and let them run to seed to give me a supply of Nettle seeds which I use a bit like chia seeds, a sprinkle for salads and soups.
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
Drizzle of Olive Oil
2 Potatoes, cubed. I use organic potatoes, so leave them unpeeled
600ml Vegetable stock
200g tender Nettle leaves, rinsed
1 Large handful of Wild Leek or Wild Garlic (flowering stems and leaves)
1 large handful Scots Lovage
1 large handful Ground Elder
2 tbsp Coconut powder
Grated nutmeg / Chilli flakes - optional!
Salt & pepper
METHOD
In a large pan, sauté the chopped onion (and chilli flakes, if using) in olive oil for 10 minutes until soft and golden.
Add the potatoes and hot vegetable stock and cook until the potatoes are tender. Towards the end, stir in the coconut powder
Add the Nettle tops, Wild Garlic / Leek, and any Spring greens you have available right at the end of the cooking time to the hot soup pan but with the heat off. I cook the nettles like this to limit the time they are heated; the longer they are boiled the more vitamins and nutrients are lost / denatured in the cooking process. This method breaks down the sting but ensures the nettles retain maximum beneficial constituents.
After about 10 minutes, liquidise the lot. Leave uncovered and serve immediately to retain the brillilant green colour, if you cool / freeze it will go a darker green to brownish colour. Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg to serve.
I love Juliet Blankespoor’s description of Stinging Nettle, and would like to quote her blog from the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine:
“Nettles is a highly revered, nutritious spring green, eaten steamed or in soups and stir-fries […] The greens and tea of nettles are high in minerals, vitamins, and chlorophyll; namely Vitamin A and C and calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron. The leaves and seeds are used medicinally in teas and foods for allergies, arthritis, and as a kidney tonic. Few herbs are so highly useful in the garden as nettles, if placed wisely in the landscape. It is considered a perennial vegetable—it does not need to be planted from seed each spring, but comes back from the roots year after year.”
