Special nettles

[MKG]

I have an old farmhouse-style recipe book which I love dearly. It tells me all manner of wonderful things, including how to make nettle soup and nettle pudding.

I've looked - I really have - but I can't find them.

"Pick only the tops of fresh nettles wearing mittens", it says.

?????????

[Annpan]

My nettles aren't up yet... with a young child around, I wish we didn't have any

I use them for plant food, not people food (I just don't have the guts)

Anyway... if when they do come up, you will notice that the fresher parts are light green and the older stuff darker, and more woody... it is the pale, fresh stuff that you want to pick. I use rubber gloves, wouldn't trust woolen mittens.

Might be another month before you have enough to pick.

If you have none in your garden, most wasteland will have a good crop, or in a park.

let us know how you get on

[Green Rosie]

Nettle soup is yummy - OH made it last year. The nettles here are just coming up so might send him off in the week to gather enough for a bowl or two of free food.

[Eigon]

Nettles are quite nice when cooked like spinach, too.
As Annpan says, look for the lighter green shoots, which are nice and tender.

[Milims]

I've never seen nettles wearing mittens either!

So how do you make nettle pudding and soup?

[Silver Ether]

The nettles are up here I had enough to pick the other day with some ransoms for soup ... there should be a recipe for soup in the foraging bit some where This is the one I use; notice there is no potato but a lot of nettle soup contains potato .. but I find that when its blended it goes weird .. not nice.

Nettle soup.
2 tablespoons of vegetable margarine or oil
2 tablespoons of cornflour
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped, or wild garlic.
Freshly picked and washed young nettles (several good handfuls - picked with gloves and caution!)
1 cup water or stock
salt and pepper to taste
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil or margarine for a few minutes then stir in the nettles (no need to chop or remove stalks) until they soften. Stir in the cornflour and gradually add the water or stock, stirring all the time. Add seasonings and blend. Garnish with a little natural yogurt

[Shirley]

Nettles are just starting to show here. I'm hoping to go to the Festival of Nettles at the Crannog Centre - Perthshire. http://www.crannog.co.uk/docs/crannog_c ... pring.html



Sat-Sun, 10/11th May 2008:
Festival of Nettles Time: 11am to 4pm.
Special range of exhibits, hands'-on crafts, and foods celebrating the multi-talented nettle plant and Scottish Biodiversity Week. Learn how to process nettles to spin the fibres. Waste not, want not! From string to soup, free facts and recipes, this extended week offers something for everyone. Normal admissions apply.

[Silver Ether]

oh shirlz your so lucky ... I love the Crannog ...

[Ellendra]

While at a wilderness survival class I had the most fantastic cream-of-nettle soup. The chef who made it kept promising to share the recipe with me but he never did. Does anyone have any recipes for that?

[Flingdizz]

You could try nettle beer as well- it is lovely! I accidentally doubled the sugar though so it was more like nettle wine but it sure does the trick!

[theabsinthefairy]

flingdizz - share your recipe - please.

[Amaranth]

Ellendra, I would do a basic one like this
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/intel ... 02960.html

For one with more flavors I'd add sauteed onions before liquidising. Also I might stir in some mashed baked potatoes (sometimes liquidising potatoes makes them gluey tasting). I might add some diced cooked carrots as well rather than liquidising them as nettles and carrots blended together can give the soup an odd colour.