Stinging nettles are like spinach
Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are commonly called a native superfood of the British landscape due to their protein content, and the variety of vitamins and minerals that they contain. In fact, to live a healthy hunter-gatherer lifestyle you’d be wise to include nettle tops, they’re basically one of the original ‘greens’ which have become trendy to consume in a shake each morning.
The reasons why nettles are so good for you
Nutrient wise, stinging nettles contain 2.7g protein per 100g as well as providing essential vitamins A, K, and B and being a fantastic source of Iron, Calcium and Manganese; they can basically be equated to spinach and used in much the same way. Nettles are so nutritious partly because they favour growing in nutrient rich areas and pull up and lock away high concentrations of nitrogen, potassium and iron in their cells, so much so that gardeners use nettles to brew a simple and very effective fertiliser which is effectively free. On our inland foraging courses we nearly always encounter a patch of young stinging nettles and proceed to wax lyrical about the benefits of eating them, followed by a demo of how to pick them without getting stung. Everyone who then picks a couple of young leaves and gingerly eats them soon agrees that the flavour is far superior to that of spinach, there is more depth and sweetness in a nettle and they are incredibly versatile – just remember to cook them or crush them thoroughly to break up those stinging hairs.
The hidden benefits to eating nettles
Besides the obvious health benefits of consuming stinging nettles, there are several hidden benefits – for starters they are basically free. Most gardens will grow stinging nettles as a ‘weed’ if given half a chance and the tops of these can then be harvested multiple times before the plant starts to grow flowers. Every time that the tops are plucked from a nettle plant, it will regrow the top section again, it’s very similar to coppicing a tree. As mentioned above, nettles are very versatile and can be preserved by freezing them after quickly blanching; drying out and storing crushed up in jars to add to dishes as a seasoning or brew in a herbal tea; or preserving in a ready made meal. One of the key reasons why many people we speak with decide to forage, hunt or fish for their supper is the feeling that comes from being more connected to their food and natural landscape. Collecting nettles from somewhere near your home and then eating them within 24 hours, is likely going to be better for your head than hastily grabbing a bag of spinach grown somewhere overseas from the shop on your way home from work. It isn’t always going to be possible to forage on the day; but when you can, it’s really worth doing.
