It prospers in vacant lots and along pathways, and every stem and leaf is crammed with magnesium, sulfur, nitrogen and iron. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is as useful in the garden, where it becomes fertiliser and fungicide, as in the kitchen — provided you wear gloves and gather it far from treated fields.
It prospers in vacant lots, on roadside mounds and along pathways, the stinging nettle is often cause for many to remember the pain and burning felt as children, either from having fallen off a bicycle or because of cheeky joker friends. There are around thirty species in this genus, and the most common in Europe are the Great nettle (Urtica dioica) and the burning nettle (Urtica urens).
This herbaceous plant, considered by many to be a dreadful weed, is actually replete with helpful properties. Its stems and leaves are crammed with nutrients and minerals (magnesium, sulfur, nitrogen, iron) that are interesting to
The same plant serves the soil, the plants growing in it and the cook. Here is what each preparation is made for.
| Use | How it is prepared | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fermented tea, fertiliser and treatment | Nettles macerated in rain water, then filtered | Natural fertiliser, repellent and antifungal against mites and ticks, aphids, downy and powdery mildew |
| Fermented tea on foliage | Sprayed onto the leaves | Protects against fungus and insect attacks |
| Fermented tea on roots | Added to the watering | Strengthens the roots |
| Compost activator | Fermented tea added to the heap | Activates fermentation of the compost |
| Green manure | Whole plants tilled into the soil | Feeds the ground directly |
| Raw leaves | Picked tender, or chopped so they no longer sting | Replaces parsley in mixed salads and sides |
| Cooked leaves | Prepared much like spinach | Soup, quiche, pie, pesto, puff pastry, omelette |
| Infusion | Fresh or dried leaves, three cups a day for three weeks | Remineralisation therapy at the start of a new season |
Whichever use you pick, the harvest itself follows the same rule: gloves on, and well away from treated ground.
In the form of fermented tea, nettle is an excellent natural fertilizer, as well as a repellent and antifungal that helps fight mites and ticks, aphids, downy mildew and powdery mildew. It can also be added to compost to activate its fermentation.
To prepare fermented nettle tea, mix 35 oz (1 kg) of dried chopped nettles (leaves and stems, don’t forget your gloves when harvesting) to 10 quarts (10 liters) rain water in a large plastic or wooden pail. Cover, place in the shade, and stir from time to time. Maceration requires 5 to 10 days depending on the temperature. The fermented tea is ready when bubbles have stopped appearing.
Filter it (with a pair of old stockings, for instance) and pour it in plastic gallons. Spray it on plant leaves against fungus and insect attacks; and add it to the watering on roots to strengthen them.
Mineralizing, purgative and diuretic, nettle leaves can pack a powerful nutritional punch in cooking, for the lowest cost!
Harvested while still tender, or when already chopped, they don’t sting anymore, so you can use them raw to replace parsley in all your preparations: mixed salads, sides, etc. When cooked, they are prepared much like spinach, for example as soup, quiche, pie, pesto, puff pastry, omelette, etc. Fresh or dried, it can be drunk in infusions, as a remineralization therapy at the start of each new season (drink three cups a day for three weeks).
Whichever appeals to you, harvest your leaves “organically” by collecting them from plants that are far away from cultivated and treated fields.
Laure Hamann
