:QUOTE [quotetype:personal] The plant that stings you when you touch it carelessly is edible, nutritious, and delicious when you handle it correctly. :INFO What Stinging Nettles Are Urtica dioica is one of the most nutritious wild plants in temperate climates — higher in iron than spinach, high in calcium, magnesium, vitamins A and K, and more protein by dry weight than most vegetables. The stinging hairs (trichomes) inject formic acid, histamine, and acetylcholine — all are destroyed by heat or by blanching for 30 seconds. Young spring nettles (top 4 to 6 inches of growth) are most tender. Harvest before flowering for best flavor. :COUNTER.half 30 Seconds | :COUNTER.half March to May :PATH Identify the Plant Correctly Heart-shaped serrated leaves, square stems, opposite leaves — common in disturbed rich soil. | :INFO Identify the Plant Correctly Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has: heart-shaped, deeply serrated leaves 2 to 5 inches long; square stems; leaves arranged in opposite pairs; fine stinging hairs visible on leaves and stems; small greenish clusters of flowers. It grows in rich, disturbed soil near water, fence lines, and edges of disturbed ground. The sting itself is diagnostic — no toxic lookalike stings like nettle. :PATH Harvest with Gloves Thick rubber gloves and scissors — cut only the top 4 to 6 inches. | :INFO Harvest with Gloves Wear thick rubber gloves — thin latex does not protect against the trichomes. Use scissors or garden shears to cut only the top 4 to 6 inches of each plant. Avoid harvesting from roadsides, agricultural runoff areas, or polluted soil. Pack immediately into a paper bag or breathable container — plastic causes the tops to wilt. :PATH Blanch to Neutralize the Sting Plunge in boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately ice-bath. | :INFO Blanch to Neutralize the Sting Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Tip the nettles in (still wearing gloves until they are in the water). Blanch for 30 seconds — no longer, or the bright green color and nutritional content degrade. Drain and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and press out excess water. The blanched nettles can now be handled without gloves. :CHECKLIST Preparation Uses [ ] Nettle soup — blanched nettles blended with potato and stock [ ] Nettle pesto — substitute for basil with pine nuts and Parmesan [ ] Pasta filling — mixed with ricotta for a stuffed pasta [ ] Nettle tea — dried leaves steeped 10 minutes (also sting-neutral when dried) [ ] Stir-fry with garlic and olive oil — substitute for spinach or chard :NOTE Never Eat After Flowering Once nettles flower and go to seed (typically June onward), the leaves develop cystoliths — calcium carbonate crystals that can irritate kidneys with heavy consumption. Harvest only the young growth tips before flowering begins. In fall, new basal growth after die-back is safe to harvest. :QUOTE [quotetype:personal] It stings you to protect itself. Thirty seconds in boiling water settles the argument in your favor. :LINK https://www.eattheweeds.com/urtica-dioica-stinging-nettles/ Eat the Weeds — Stinging Nettles: Identification, Harvest, and Uses