Stinging Nettle

Foraging can be a very sensitive topic, considering there are many indigenous plants; foods & medicines being over harvested and commercialized. If you follow this blog, you can expect to learn very little about wild foods and foraging.

However, stinging nettle is one of those wild foods that is fairly prolific and can certainly take over your garden if given the right conditions to grow. Due to the hardiness of this plant and the fact that it is found widely throughout north america and the world I do feel like it is noteworthy.

If you dig up a small portion of the plant you can easily transplant it to your home garden. Stinging nettle grows as a rhizome so even just a bit of the roots and you could start your own little patch. It like fairly moist conditions and is generally found as ground cover in forested areas.

This plant has many medicinal properties, but I’m not really an expert or feel comfortable sharing what has been shared with me, so I will keep it simple.

Stinging nettle can be eaten cooked or dried. Mix it with stews, stirfrys soups and other dishes or drink as tea. It is very high in Iron and B vitamins. It is safe to eat or drink as much as you like.