#Nettle soup

[petermorwood]

Given their reputation for stinging people, I wonder who exactly was the first person to ever discover that nettles were edible?

Another of those mysteries lost to time, like "who was the first person to eat an oyster?"

The oyster one almost certainly originated in "if hungry enough, people will eat anything", so maybe the same experimentation-through-necessity thing applied to nettles?

*****

There could also be an element of petty vengeance following a day of getting thoroughly stung.

Like the time in summer 1976 when I was briefly stationed at RAF West Raynham, and on one particular day off went canoeing along a river in Norfolk.

Inevitably I tipped the canoe and the easiest way to right it - I know about turning it over and sloshing the water out, but this was EASIEST, right? - was to swim, pushing the inverted canoe ahead, to the river-bank.

Summer 1976 was incredibly hot, so...

I was wearing just Speedos, Ray-Bans, sun-block and a boonie hat...

Which meant that discovering the lush green of the river-bank was a chest-high thicket of nettles, on both sides, with no breaks in sight...

Was Not Fun.

By the time I was back in my canoe and paddling away from that river-bank I was NOT a happy camper, and would cheerfully have unloaded a bucket of instant sunshine over every nettle on the planet.

*****

I can well imagine some glowing, tingling, itching prehistoric hunter-gatherer chucking a huge armful into boiling water with a prehistoric cry of "See how YOU like it!" and discovering shortly afterwards that the nettles:

Smelled good;

Were no longer stingy;

Tasted good as well.

There are plenty of recipes on-line for nettle soup, from simple to elaborate. Come spring, when the greens are young and tender, put on a pair of gloves and inflict some culinary vengeance of your own.

:->

*****

How someone discovered that nettles could be treated the same way as hemp and flax in order to create a weaveable fibre is another question. More experimentation, probably.

*****

And now, for some reason, I've got an overwhelming desire to scratch...

[stairnaheireann]

Nettle Soup

“He who is afraid of every nettle should not pee in the grass.” The common Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, was for many generations an important traditional food in Ireland, providing a free and tasty ingredient for soups, purées and sauces in the spring. As they are rich in minerals and vitamins and said to cleanse the blood, nettles were taken as a medicinal herbal tea – for a sort of internal…

[camptara]

[clusterbungle]

Baked a loaf of crusty bread to use for breakfast this morning and then saw a beloved mutual had sent me a recipe for nettle soup! That was lunch decided 👍

Ta-da! I didn't eat two bowls of soup, I just liked the funky tie-dye effect of the cream before it fully mixed in ☺️

Thank you @hardlyhardinge for the yummy recipe!

[imigliori]

Soup Recipe This is a dense and delicious dark green nettle soup. Make it when nettles show up at the farmers markets in the Spring. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the nettles or they'll sting ya!

[brauweiler]

Stinging Nettle Soup This dark green nettle soup is hearty and delicious. Make it when nettles appear at the spring farmers markets. When handling the nettles, use gloves to avoid getting stung! 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 pound stinging nettles, 1 white onion diced, 1/4 cup basmati rice, 2 teaspoons salt, 4 cups chicken broth

[zeigarnik]

Stinging Nettle Soup This is a dense and delicious dark green nettle soup. Make it when nettles show up at the farmers markets in the Spring. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the nettles or they'll sting ya!

[loudestcloud]

I made stringing nettle soup for the 2nd time ever and then had to microwave it for 1:30m because I'd under cooked it a bit. I added mushrooms, seeds, basil and tomatoes just because and now it looks like a whole garden in a soup

[bekkathyst]

Happy Spring Equinox! 💞🌸

Here’s a soup 😊

[morethansalad]

Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup with Fennel & Fresh Herbs (Vegan)

[ridethebigrockstarss]

Nettle Soup x

[neverquiteeden]

Recipe from my cookbook if anyone wants it (might not be the same as OP's)

nettle soup verdict: holy fuck

[yrlocalghost]

i have a thing about associating certain words with certain things and i think the most niche or specific one for me is that i associate the word acrid with undertale a bit

[everything-bagel-blog]

Nettles (alive, dead) and dock leaves

The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica): A bee sting in plant form. Both give you acidic stings, but whilst a bee will die after a single sting, the nettle holds no such melodrama. Importantly, the underside of the nettle has no stinging needles - using this, a nettle leaf can be folded and eaten. Quite delicious, but like oysters, it is best to only chew them just enough to experience the flavour. Unlike oysters, it is an established tea.

The dock leaf (Rumex obtusifolius): The apologetic, unassuming, elder sibling of our funny little trio. Never too far behind the stinging nettle, growing in the same habitat, it is a welcome gift for the unlucky or unwary. Simply crushing it's flat, broad leaf, arranged in small clumps, low to the ground, and rubbing the remains on the sting will greatly ease the pain. Unfortunately, as some kind of earthy punishment for irresponsible agricultural practices, or maybe it's simply prone to seasickness, it did not accompany the stinging nettle on its torment to Australia.

(Important note: it is NOT a certified doctor, and, in fact, does not hold any kind of medical certificate or degree).

The dead nettle (Lamium purpureum): Surprisingly, edible, and harmless enough. It's pretty pink-ish-purple flowers will ruin its disguise in certain seasons, along with its ever-present diminutive size. The dead nettle relies on the terrifying reputation of the stinging nettle to warn away anyone and anything. Yet, it you touch one, you will find no sting. Like if the spirit of the plant it pretends to be manifests in that sting, it finds itself lacking something it will never achieve. However, for the dead nettle, once that sting is proven absent, it's likely already dead - possibly uprooted for its uncanny skill of growing in driveways.

[izzyliker]

please pass a tray to the person behind you after you’ve served yourself guys

[kieyul]

Mazandarani Style Nettle Soup