Stinging Nettles are covered with hairs, but not many are actually the stinging hairs. The sting from Stinging Nettles comes from their stinging hairs, called trichomes. delicious! That same neighbor came over and tentatively tasted the soup, then proceeded to devour it, raving about how good it was. I took my new picked treasure home and made some Stinging Nettle and Pork Belly soup with a homemade duck stock. I also showed him how you can even eat them raw, if done the right way, but he wasn't about to try it. I explained that the "sting" is neutralized within about 30 seconds when exposed to heat. He was a bit skeptical about their being edible. My neighbor was happy to have me cut some of his "weeds" back. I harvested a large bag full and took them home. I did a quick search around my neighborhood and discovered a large patch in my neighbor's yard. I looked around and found a tiny Stinging Nettle plant a few inches tall. It felt like a fire ant sting, which I have had plenty of experience with growing up in south Florida. I was pushing some new growth back to clear a small patch of soil when I felt a sharp pain on the back of my hand. I accidentally discovered them in my garden about a week ago when planting some garlic bulbs ( see my prior article about using sprouted garlic). Yes, they do sting, but it is not that bad. A harbinger of Spring, the Stinging Nettle has long been used as a food and medicinal plant.
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