Under the shearing shed there was a large clump of stinging nettles. We don't have much of it at the farm so strangely enough it was an exciting find. Picking the leaves with gloves on and using BBQ tongs was easy enough and no stings which is a first.
Nettles can be eaten when they're young, as is done in many parts of Europe. Nettles are high in nutrients such iron, magnesium and nitrogen. Cooking or drying neutralises the toxic components, and nettles can be used as a tea or in soup, blanched for a salad or even added to pizza. We cooked the leaves with some young spinach and beetroot leaves and tomato sugo and served with pasta. Delicious and free!!
"Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and the closely related Urtica urens) has a long medicinal history. In medieval Europe, it was used as a diuretic (to rid the body of excess water) and to treat joint pain.
Stinging nettle has fine hairs on the leaves and stems that contain irritating chemicals, which are released when the plant comes in contact with the skin. The hairs, or spines, of the stinging nettle are normally very painful to the touch. When they come into contact with a painful area of the body, however, they can actually decrease the original pain. Scientists think nettle does this by reducing levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body, and by interfering with the way the body transmits pain signals.
General Uses
Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), for urinary tract infections, for hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or in compresses or creams for treating joint pain, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and insect bites." from the University of Maryland Medical Centre website
