Raw Food & Healthy Eating Scotland

Rawfood, vegan, vegetarian, plant based & healthy eating in Scotland

  • Home
  • About
  • Insta
  • Contact

How to eat raw nettles

By Lisa Murphy May 1 5

Nettles are an incredibly useful food source, especially at this time of year in Scotland when they are popping up everywhere. It is best to eat the young plants that appear in the Spring, as the more mature leaves can cause digestive upsets.

It’s pretty easy to recognise them of course (and if you miss them, they’ll let you know they’re there, believe me). They grow all over the place in woodland areas, and your garden, if you let them!  I gave up one of my raised beds to nettles – I figure, they’re more nutritious than a lot of other foods I grow, and they look after themselves, so why not? They’re the ultimate crop for a lazy gardener (that’s me).

It’s so convenient to have them right there whenever I need them, and they provide a welcome safe haven for many wee beasties that are beneficial for your garden (including my favourite – lovely ladybirds).  Their stinging leaves cause grazing animals to leave a wide berth, which means that important pollinators like butterflies can lay their eggs there in safety.  Bless them!

Once I’ve picked my nettles (I just take the top few leaves off) I give them a good wash, then dry them in the dehydrator overnight.

When they are completely dry I crunch them up into small pieces by rolling them with a big wooden rolling pin.  Then I store them in airtight jars, packing them tight to keep for a year-round nutritious addition to smoothies and teas.

Tip: save the water you have washed your nettles with to give to your plants – that way you won’t waste any valuable nutrients that may have leached into the water.

You might think that nettles would be difficult to eat raw, but actually they are fine. You can pop them into smoothies, juice them, or ferment them (I’m planning on making a lovely non-alcoholic water kefir nettle beer with my next batch).

Just be sure to wear a thick pair of marigolds while handling them or they may take their revenge 😉

Nettles add a lovely mild flavour to any dish. Don’t worry, they won’t sting your mouth – they lose all their punch once they’ve been blended or juiced.  Even just leaving them out for a day or two means they lose their sting.

So why are nettles so great for you?

Nettles are highly nutritious and are particularly rich in vitamin A, iron, calcium and protein – in fact they must be the cheapest superfood around!

Their rich silica and sulphur content make them excellent for your hair and skin. I love to use nettle tea in my hair washing routine.  I wet my hair with plain water, then use a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (diluted in water) to get rid of any grease or grime, rinse that off, then give a good soak with nettle tea.  After that I rinse with a teaspoon of kombucha diluted in water, then a final rinse with plain water.  It leaves my hair feeling so good – and it’s way less expensive than regular shampoo and conditioner.

When picking nettles I make sure I wear some strong rubber gloves to avoid getting stung. Although I was reliably informed by one of the lovely followers of my Facebook page that the sting is actually a medicine which is good for arthritis and gout (I still play it safe and wear the gloves though – I’m not that brave!).

It’s also important to make sure the area you’re foraging in has not been treated with pesticides etc. And please forage responsibly – remember to leave plenty of nettles for the wildlife.

 

About Lisa Murphy
Lisa Murphy has followed a rawfood diet since 2003. She is also a counsellor, hypnotherapist and coach who specialises in healthy eating, weight loss and anxiety. For more details of Lisa's therapies and courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

Facebook  • Twitter • Linkedin • Google • Youtube • Instagram • 

Categories: Article

Prev
Next

About Lisa Murphy

Lisa Murphy has followed a rawfood diet since 2003. She is also a counsellor, hypnotherapist and coach who specialises in healthy eating, weight loss and anxiety. For more details of Lisa's therapies and courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

Comments

  1. Lesley says

    May 7, 2022 at 21:15

    Great info, thank you! Just picked a bunch of nettles from my garden. Made a soup with one half and used the rest in a pesto. I didn’t pre-prepare in boiling water beforehand, but presuming, as you say, they’re okay blended into pesto at high speed?

  2. Jony says

    May 10, 2022 at 04:03

    What would happen if you eat them fresh without dehydrating them first? Would it sting inside your mouth? Well, I am harvesting some tomorrow regardless.

  3. Lisa Murphy says

    May 10, 2022 at 19:43

    Hi Jony, if you eat them fresh they probably will sting inside your mouth. My favourite way to get their benefits is to have them in teas or juices.

  4. Lisa Murphy says

    May 10, 2022 at 19:45

    Hi Lesley, yes I like to make pesto with them too! They should be ok after being blended at high speed, but you might like to marinate or steam them first just to be on the safe side.

  5. Danny says

    May 29, 2022 at 23:26

    To eat nettle raw simply pick a (preferably bright green ,fresh looking )leaf with pakm side of fingers on top of leaf. push leaf in half and fold over several times.then give the folded nettle leaf square a squeeze or roll it a bit and pop it in your mouth. it wont sting and has a nutty kinda taste.not bad at all . Nettles are also great carmelised over a fire.my kids love theme

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 × 3 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Love Raw Food?
SIGN UP for free updates, tips and inspiration - AND get my free RAWFOOD TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT, full of tips & tricks for when you're on your trips!
Your details are safe with us. We will only send the emails you have signed up for, and you can unsubscribe at any time. More details in the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of the page.

ABOUT

Lisa Murphy BSc.(hons), PG Dip. Couns., Dip.C.Hyp/NLP, is a hypnotherapist & counsellor who specialises in weight issues, anxiety, and stress-management.

Lisa has followed a rawfoods lifestyle since 2003, and incorporates rawfood support and coaching into her healthy living therapies.

For more details of Lisa’s therapies and weight-loss courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

 

Love Raw Food?
SIGN UP for free updates, tips and inspiration - AND get my free RAWFOOD TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT, full of tips & tricks for when you're on your trips!
Your details are safe with us. We will only send the emails you have signed up for, and you can unsubscribe at any time. More details in the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of the page.

Archives

Join our email list

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required



Raw Food & Healthy Eating Scotland
Follow on
Twitter
Connect on
Facebook
Connect on
Google+
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
Copyright © 2022 Raw Food & Healthy Eating Scotland · (in)SPYR Theme by Genesis Developer: SPYR Media
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT