I am extremely passionate about stinging nettles. It was foreign to me initially, it was not something we ate in South Africa. However, I did read about them in a storybook I had- Fairytales from Hans Christian Anderson. The story was called the Wild Swans, and it was about eleven princes and a princess, who was despised by their new stepmother. She turned the princes into wild swans and sent the princess off to live with a poor farm couple. To break the spell on her brothers, the princess was told in a dream, that she should gather the stinging nettles using her bare hands even though they would sting and blister, and then crush them with her bare feet before weaving them into shirts with long sleeves. When the shirts were thrown over the brothers, the spell was broken.
I often wondered about this story as I became familiar with nettles, which I started using because of allergies and migraines. Plants and animals are often tied into folklore, because of certain properties they have. Nettle was once used as a staple fiber to make cloth and yarn. Therefore it would make sense to have nettle be the fiber used in the story. However, nettle is nurturing and healing. The act of making those shirts was one of nurturing and sacrifice. Nettles nutritional content is very high in minerals and protein. Drawing a parallel, could it be, that the nutrition in nettle would build up the bones of the brothers?
Right now it’s time to share this creamy dip that is packed with flavor and nutrition. I am big on recipes where one can easily improvise. If you are not growing nettles as yet, use spinach, Swiss chard, arugula or any other green leafy vegetable you have on hand. I love using mixed nuts and seeds in this dip. I used almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds in no particular ratio. Use what you have on hand, even if it is just one of type of nut. Using different ingredients will mean a different flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Ingredients
4-5 hands full of freshly picked and washed nettles
1/2 cup mixed nuts and seeds
1/3 cup creme fraiche/greek yogurt/plain yogurt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on preference)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
Method
Put the water in a small saucepan and bring up to a boil. Add in the nettle, and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 minutes, which breaks down the cell walls and makes the minerals in the nettles more available. Do this for any green you choose to use. Add all the ingredients to a blender. Do not strain the nettles, any moisture remaining in the pan should be added too. Blend until smooth and creamy. A small amount of water can be added if it needs to be thinned further.
How to Grow Squash in the Desert
I used to drink nettle tea for my allergies and I could get it at the farmers market in Santa Barbara. I think I need to plant some of these!
For sure! we could make nettle spanakopita too!