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Nettles, a sting in the tale Karen. April 21 2011

Remember the first time that weedy nettle stung your leg and sent you dashing off in frantic search of relief from a cooling dock leaf? My grandmother (a keen gardener, her soil smattered with eggshell from homemade compost), once asked, “If you had one wish, what would it be?” Without thinking I said “For there to be no more weeds”. Almost immediately, after a flash-forward to a weed-free world, I retracted my statement. Ah, the wisdom of a six year old.

There are many definitions of a weed, “a plant growing in a place where it is not wanted” being one. I like this definition - it encompasses the Leylandii hedge that came free when I bought my house. My garden also has swathes of ground elder, one of our most pernicious weeds, brought to this country by the Romans as a salad crop. One mans weed is another mans food source it seems, so lets call a plant a plant. According to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, there are over 380,000 plant species. That’s a big bank of potential – who knows what lies within? The future may reveal new fuels or cures for diseases, but you may be as amazed as I was to learn all the uses of the humble stinging nettle.

Ever noticed the stem of a nettle is in fact square? Within that stem lie strong fibres, up to 3 inches long, perfect for making
rope, twine (see photo left) and cloth. Nettle cloth may have first been woven in the Bronze Age, and was used for German military uniforms in The First World War. The leaves yield a green dye, the roots – yellow, both used to colour British camouflage in the very same war. After the Second World War, due to food shortages, we turned to nettles as a food source. But that was nothing new; the oldest recipe found by researchers at the University of Wales was nettle pudding, dating back to 6000 BC.

Rich in vitamins, minerals and vegetable protein

The deep-rooted nettle is rich in vitamins A, C and D, iron, potassium, manganese, calcium, silicon, and vegetable protein (about 5.5%). The young tips are best harvested from March to early June (before flowering), the lower leaves being bitter, slightly gritty and possibly having a laxative effect. Cooking or drying nettle neutralises any toxicity, so why not try them? Treat them like you would spinach. Steam them, use them in soups, add chopped to omelettes, sprinkle in scrambled eggs, mix with herbs in risotto or try our nettle aloo recipe for a spicy alternative. I don my gauntlets throughout nettle season, gather the growing tips into bunches which I string up and dry for creamy nettle tea. The drinks don’t stop there. Nettle cordial apparently has a similar taste to Sauvignon wine. For the beer drinkers out there – yes, you guessed it – the web is bubbling with recipes. Enjoy with a chunk of Cornish yarg? It's famously wrapped in nettles, that, according to makers, as the cheese ripens, gives a “slightly mushroomy taste”.

Nettles are superb indicator plants, they prefer fertile soils so indicate nitrogen rich habitats. This proves a useful tool for archaeologists, a botanical clue to where old settlements once stood, thriving on nitrogen from waste.

Lo and behold, “be nice to nettles week”, this year starts May 18. Their website has a wonderful description of just what puts the sting in this tale, comparing each hollow nettle hair to a hypodermic needle. Brush by a brittle hair, naturally with bare legs, it breaks and slides into the skin, releasing histamine, serotonin and acetylcholine. Then, the heroic dock leaf comes galloping to your rescue, with its neutralising chemicals and all is cool in the world once more.

Fantastic food source & haven for insects

Bar (pun intended) sheep and goats, few grazers dare risk a mouthful. Due to its extremely successful defence mechanism the stinging nettle is a fantastic haven and food source for insects. And chicken feed, oh, and as liquid fertiliser, and as an animal supplement for glossy coats. If I went on to list all the uses of the nettle I could fill a book, but why bother when Piers Warren has already done such a grand job of it? He lists 101 uses for stinging nettles, including its anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic properties.

So, is it about time you tested your mettle and grasped the nettle?