Nettles yous say? You hateful those pesky weeds that grow similar wildfire as well as sting me if I acquire also close? Yep. These petty plants are a powerhouse of nutrients! Once cooked, blended, or dehydrated they lose their "sting." Nettle flavor varies each yr but since this wintertime has been peculiarly warm as well as sunny hither inward the Pacific Northwest, it is already here! If yous are next the Elimination Diet as well as thus adding inward fresh nettles to all phases volition assist inward the healing as well as detoxification process.
The other solar daytime the kids as well as I were out for a walk on the trails yesteryear our household when nosotros came upon our favorite nettle stand! It was total of nettles develop to endure picked. You see, nettles are best harvested when they are immature as well as entirely a few inches high. All of the nutrients are going to the leaves at this time, instead of say, inward the summer, when the release energy of the found is going to seed production. Anyway, I called Tom on my jail cellular telephone phone as well as asked him to cause upwards as well as come across me at the trailhead amongst a few pairs of scissors, newspaper bags, gardening gloves, as well as my camera.
Harvesting nettles is non precisely for adults. Young children tin participate too! We've been harvesting nettles for equally long equally I tin remember. Babies as well as one-year-olds tin ride inward a sling or backpack. ii yr olds tin play as well as run well-nigh spell yous create your work. iii yr olds tin assist as well as play. Once my girls were four years one-time they were both actually interested inward doing all of the harvesting. On our most recent excursion, the boys (2 years old) ran around, pose extra gloves on, as well as thus darted downward the trail equally far as well as equally fast equally they could go. They did eventually come upwards dorsum (and slept really good afterward that)!
What well-nigh potential nettle stings?
Well, I think it is all well-nigh how yous approach it. For us, nettles are viewed equally nourishing, wonderful plants that create posses a run a jeopardy for stinging. I tell them it isn't a large bargain as well as it volition acquire away before long enough. All of my kids seem to acquire a few stings at every harvest but brush it off as well as proceed on going. The boys fifty-fifty vicious into a nettle acre the other day, as well as thus looked at me belongings their hands upwards spell making petty grunting sounds. I said "Oh I see, it looks similar yous bring a few nettle stings, yeah that tin happen" as well as off they ran. Still, it is best to educate your children thus they tread lightly through the nettle patch. This teaches patience as well as honor for the surround approximately them. Wearing gloves as well as thick pants is best, though equally yous consider from these photos my missy was wearing a skirt as well as tights. Since the nettles were yet thus pocket-sized it wasn't equally much of an issue.
What create yous create amongst your nettles?
Well, nosotros dehydrate them to purpose for tea throughout the year. I precisely house the whole found inward the dehydrator. Once dried, I pack them into the nutrient processor as well as procedure until finely ground. I as well as thus pour the ground, dried nettles into drinking glass bricklayer jars. You tin also purpose fresh nettles inward stock
, or sautéed amongst garlic as well as olive oil. Really, the options are endless. Just don't add together them to a salad, they entirely lose their "sting" when blended, cooked, or dehydrated.
What are the wellness benefits of consuming nettles?
Nettles are a blood-building herb, beingness high inward iron, calcium, delineate minerals, protein, as well as chlorophyll; they are really beneficial for the anemic person.
Being mildly diuretic as well as rich inward minerals, nettles assist to cause thorax milk production afterward delivery.
Nettles may endure used equally a handling for hay fever.
Nettles are stimulating as well as cleansing to the liver, kidneys, as well as bladder.
They gustation good; kind out of similar spinach some say.
How create yous harvest them?
The best method, thus the found tin proceed growing, is to cutting the stalk precisely afterward the minute laid of basal leaves. This doesn't e'er occur when immature children are involved, but hollo upwards it is a learning procedure for them. If yous alive inward the Midwest or East Coast your nettle flavor may non come upwards approximately for some other few months. Nettles similar nitrogen-rich, moist soil thus hold off for a house amongst a lot of decaying organic matter.
I'll endure posting recipes using nettles soon, similar lasagna, bone broth, as well as soup. In the meantime, move out as well as taste the beautiful sunshine as well as acquire on a nettle hunt amongst your children!
If yous are an Herbalist or someone who has a lot of cognition inward herbal medicine, delight leave of absence a comment as well as add together anything I mightiness endure missing here, thanks! :)
References:
Gladstar R. Herbal Healing for Women. New York: Simon as well as Schuster, 1993, 177.
Mittman P. Randomized double-blind written report of freeze-dried Urtica diocia inward the handling of allergic rhinitis. Planta Med 1990;56:44–7.
Blumenthal M, Busse WR, Goldberg A, et al. (eds). The Complete Commission due east Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Boston, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications, 1998, 216–7.