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Articles Archive Index
Issue 1
Nettle: the Spring Sting
by Kylie Loynd
They know it's spring with that first nettle sting. At RavenCroft Gardens, EagleSong and Sally King say they feel their slow winter energy begin to stir when nettle announces the shift of season with its signature "Wake Up!" call. Nettle brings a quickening, both in body as well as in soil. It increases the metabolism, builds the body and blood and is an incredible ally to the kidneys and the adrenal glands. Nettle also stimulates the biological activity of the soil. It enriches the soil when added to compost, given to plants as a liquid food or grown in the garden as a friendly companion to tomatoes and aromatic herbs. EagleSong reminds me that without grocery stores and their year-round supply of out-of-season foods, we'd all be thrilled when nettle came up, because we'd be so tired of eating potatoes and cabbages and other winter foods. "Part of the beauty of a natural life is that there are times when we don't have things, so when we do have them, they become so much more delicious," she says.
"Nettle is the cherished friend of the tired teenage woman, the ever-hungry new mother, the crampy executive, wise women midwives and the emerging crone," writes Susun Weed in Healing Wise. Nettle is a heavy-hitter for such a common plant and ranks as one of the most widely used herbs in the Western world. Throughout Europe nettle is used as a spring tonic and detoxifying remedy. Nettle is nutrient rich: an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and amino acids (protein building blocks). It's very high in calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and chlorophyll. Nettle is also high in chromium, cobalt, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and sulfur, as well as the B complexes, especially thiamine and riboflavin. It supplies niacin, protein, selenium, ascorbic acid (C complex) and vitamins D and K. Nettle, like spinach, is an excellent fortifier for children. Are you listening here? What's not to like?
Nettle Standard Brew
How to Make:
Add 1 ounce of dried nettle herb to a 1-quart canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water. Let the brew sit for 4-6 hours, so the water can extract the mineral-rich goods from the herb. Strain the nettles, saving the liquid for the brew and the herb for mixing with other foods.
Uses:
— Drink at room temperature, warmed or iced.
— Use it for soup stock. Try adding a little miso for an instant lunch.
— Use it instead of water to cook pasta or grains.
— Add it to compost, or pour the liquid on house plants as plant food and to enrich the soil.
— Chop the remaining herb and mix it with sour cream as a topping for potatoes, noodles or rice.
Where to find nettle:
Harvest your own with guidance from a friend who knows nettles, visit your local herbalist or contact RavenCroft Garden.
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"Earth's green milk" is Susun Weed's term for nettle because of its ability to nourish and restore. Sally relates a tale of her early mothering days. When nursing had ceased and she was feeling exhausted, she added nettle to her life. She drank a quart of nettle standard brew (see sidebar) daily for a year, feeling like she couldn't get enough of it. "At the end of that year, I had energy, my hair was thick and full and vibrant and I realized that my ally nettle had recharged, rebuilt and enlivened me." Sally says she's seen women's lives completely changed by this herb. I can't think of a single woman that I know who is not feeling exhausted. What would nettle do for an entire generation of women? Hey, who hid this herb?
Nettles like spring light and summer shade and can be found under big-leaf deciduous trees or in other areas with rich wet soil. EagleSong and Sally take kids "nettling" in the spring. The idea of actually searching them out is a humorous switch from the caution I've grown used to hearing: "Be careful, that's stinging nettle!" EagleSong says that in all her years of nettle harvesting, she has never once been turned away from a request to clear nettle from a neighbor's yard. I believe her. I would have handed her a glass of iced tea with a big bright smile.
"Weave it into your family's life." That's Sally's recommendation for becoming acquainted with this nutritional giant. Nettle can be picked fresh and cooked as a potherb early in spring, and then harvested a couple of months later when it has grown taller. It can then be dried and used year-round in a standard brew. When boiled in water to neutralize its sting, it is EagleSong's favorite herb to eat as a vegetable. After cooking you can drink the liquid or use it as a soup stock. EagleSong tells a story of a friend who made a deal with her kids. They could keep their Top Ramen if they cooked it with the nettle liquid instead of plain water. This proved to be a fair family compromise because there was nothing lost in taste and everything gained in nutrition. With this compromise as inspiration, I imagine myself plotting a similar conversation at our house.
We could all use a little lift in our lives. Whichever method you wish to try first, cooked fresh as a potherb or steeped in water for a standard brew, try a nettle wake-up call from the plant kingdom.
Located near Monroe, WA, RavenCroft Garden is an educational center connecting people, plants and the earth. It is home to founder EagleSong, Community Centered Herbalist (CCH) and Director Sally King, CCH, who work with herbs as a foundation for creating health. Contact EagleSong and Sally at (360) 794-2938 or www.ravencroftgarden.com.
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