04/02/2024
More On Stinging Nettles and Nettle Pate Recipe (Excerpt from my book, The Healing Garden)
It’s true that nettles (Urtica dioica, Urticaceae) wear a crown of nearly invisible silver prickles, primed to sting any who might dare to trespass, but the sting is disarmed when the leaves are dried or cooked.
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As a seasonal skin and energy tonic. Nettles is a traditional spring tonic and blood cleanser, and it’s an excellent herbal ally during fasting and cleansing. The herb is prepared into teas, along with red clover and burdock, to assuage eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Nettles will perk you up when you feel tired or depleted and can help build reserves after a long or intense illness. I often add the herb to milky oats and tulsi to support people undergoing challenging transitions and periods of extra workload.
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As a delicious nutritive tonic. Nettles is a supreme blood builder and nourishing tonic. If you’re hankering for the minerals in nettles, take the herb as an infusion, broth, or vinegar, or enjoy it as a food. (Alcohol-based tincture won’t deliver the minerals.) Because it’s a food plant, nettles can be consumed frequently, with less attention to dosage than other herbs.
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Nettles Pâté Recipe
Nettles pâté is pesto’s voluptuous cousin, thicker and earthier by nature. Smother it on pasta, bake it into lasagna, or spread it on pizza or focaccia. Serve as a dip with crudites or crackers. You can enjoy this dish year-round by following the directions below for dried nettles. If you avoid dairy, substitute extra olives for the feta and Parmesan cheese. Or, use a coconut or nut-based cheese alternative, tasting for saltiness as needed.
You’ll find this Nettles Pâté Recipe in the book, along with a full profile on the cultivation & harvesting of nettles, and the medicinal uses of the herb. This recipe will make 4 cups if using fresh nettles; 4 ½ cups with dried nettles.
Equipment
Small saucepan
Medium Skillet
Food processor (or blender)
Ingredients
15-20 small to medium sun-dried tomatoes -15 small tomatoes = about a 1/2 cup
4 quarts loosely packed fresh nettles - You can substitute 2.5 cups of dried nettles for 4 quarts of fresh.
1 cup walnut halves
10 medium shiitake mushroom caps chopped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil - Plus a little more for sautéing the mushrooms.
3 cloves garlic peeled
½ cup whole pitted Kalamata olives
½ cup feta cheese
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Pour just enough hot water over the sun-dried tomatoes to cover, and let sit for 3 hours. If you don’t have the time to presoak, soaking them in hot water while you prepare the other ingredients is sufficient. You can also substitute jarred sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil. Strain the soaked tomatoes after hydrating.
IF USING DRIED NETTLES: Bring 1 ⅔ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the dried nettles, and stir every 5 minutes as the nettles rehydrate. Set aside (you won’t be straining the rehydrated nettles).
IF USING FRESH NETTLES: Strip the nettle leaves from the fibrous stem using leather garden gloves. Wash the leaves thoroughly (it may require several washings). Steam until the nettles are tender yet still vibrantly green. Let the nettles cool with the lid off.
Toast the walnut halves in a dry, preheated skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously, until their aroma permeates the kitchen and they are slightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not leave them unattended, as they can quickly burn. Place the toasted walnuts on a plate to cool. In a small skillet, sauté the mushrooms in a little extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
When the nettles and mushrooms are cool enough to handle, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until the p.t. reaches an even consistency. Add more olive oil and salt, if necessary. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze in small portions.
If you’re like me and you adore salty, savory, herbal dips, this recipe will promptly become a classic in your home. I make batches all throughout nettles season and freeze the extras for use during the winter months when mineral-rich foods from the garden are scarce. Everyone gets excited when they see these green jars defrosting on the counter!
Enjoy! 😁
**When harvesting for medicine, wait until the plants are knee-high and pick before they flower. Wear thick clothing that covers arms and ankles, and use leather gardening gloves. Use a scythe or similar tool for large-scale harvesting, and use pruners or kitchen scissors for smaller yields.
**Only wild-harvest nettles from clean locales, as they are adept at bioaccumulating heavy metals and other toxins. If plants are growing in the floodplains of polluted waterways, there is a good chance their leaves will have accumulated some of the toxins found in the water.
**There are many look-alikes, so use caution and consult a wild foods expert or herbalist before harvesting
A trusted source for help in identifying plants:
https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=URDI
**To read more about beginner-friendly plants to forage, go to our blog:
https://chestnutherbs.com/best-wild-foods-for-beginning-foragers/
**To take our Online Foraging Course:
https://chestnutherbs.com/online-foraging-course-edible-and-medicinal-wild-herbs/
***Please research any new herb and consult your health care providers for possible drug/herb contraindications and precautions before ingesting. Be sure of your identification before ingesting any plant or mushroom.
