FreshPoint

Description:

Stinging Nettles are green-leafed 2 with stinging hairs that leave an itchy rash on the skin when they are touched. There are two varieties: the greater nettle which grows up to 5 feet in height and the lesser nettle which grows to only about 1 foot tall. The lesser nettle (California Wild Nettles shown here) is not just harvested as a wild herb in Western Switzerland and the Pacific Northwest, it is cultivated as a vegetable. Young leaf tips are cooked as a spinachlike vegetable, pureed for soup, and used to make nettle beer. Because of the highly irritant nature of the raw leaves, Stinging Nettles must be cooked or frozen before serving.