Nettle Pesto and Eggs

Living here in the Northwest, stinging nettles are very abundant around my property, as I have found on many occasions when picking other berries and getting stung while reaching too far into a bush.  They especially like to hide in the middle of the blackberry patch at the end of my driveway!

After finding some nettles, hopefully without getting stung too many times, look for the young shoots.  Even this time of year, you can find young shoots coming up.  Pinch off the tops of the plants (wearing gloves and preferably long sleeves just in case) and throw into a bag or a pot.

Nettle Pesto Recipe from Fat of the Land   Langdon Cook does a much better job at describing how to make nettle pesto.

My instructions:  Mix ingredients in blender.


2 cups stinging nettles, blanched and chopped (figure 6 cups raw)
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted
4-5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

Puree for about 10 minutes until everything is well chopped, blended, and smooth.

I take my pesto, place extra in mason jars with caps and freeze to preserve for a bit.  Not sure if that is recommended, but it seems to work.  I use within a few months.

Nettle Quiche

I am in love with Nettles lately. Maybe because they make themselves very hard not to notice when they are intertwined through our berry bushes all around our property!

Stinging nettle near my house

In the spirit of using what is available, I decided to utilize the nettles with my abundance of eggs and make nettle quiche for a family breakfast.

I carefully - ie. wearing gloves - collected the tips of some young nettles.  I had mowed down a section of nettles on a trail earlier in the year.  It is a bit late for young nettle tips where I am at, but where I had knocked them down there were fresh shoots coming back up that I was able to collect.

Still carefully, I put the nettles into a small sauce pan and steamed them for 10 minutes -

I followed a spinach quiche recipe I found online.

Spinach Quiche Recipe

And enjoyed!

The Joy of Nettles: Green Nettle Tea

Stinging nettles.  Nearly everyone in the Northwest has a story from growing up about an encounter with this particularly painful forest herb. 

Walking down a nice green trail and brushing your hand against the innocent looking greenery only to feel the sharp sting from the miniature hypodermic needles covering the leaves and stem of this plant.

Reaching for those ripe berries and getting thwarted by the welt delivering plant hidden among the vines.

Putting on a glove, pulling up some nettles, and trying to slap them across your brothers neck (my brother started it!).

Only recently have I discovered that there are even more uses for this smarting plant other than the joy of getting back at your brother for countless Nuremberg level crimes.

Green nettle tea is simple and easy to make, as follows:

Pick (carefully!) a half dozen green nettle tops.  Preferably the young tender shoots, either in the early spring, or coming up later from plants cut earlier in the year.  Pick the top 6-8 inches that have not yet developed the woody inner fiber.

Wash (still wearing gloves) any dust or whatnot off of the leaves and stems.

Place in a pot with 4-5 cups of water, boil for 5 minutes.

Pick out the leaves and stems, save for other applications (will post these later).

Pour water into coffe mug.

Drink.

If too strong for you, add a drop of honey.

If you want to serve to other people, add honey and a dash of lemon juice, at least the first time.

It makes a strong, herbal type tea that I find invigorating.  I always think, the sting has gone out of all the leaves and stems at this point, so it has gotta be in the tea right?  Maybe that is what makes it invigorating!

Enjoy!