NETTLE PESTO

NETTLE FORAGING 101

If you want to get into foraging, I think stinging nettles are a great place to start. Because of their sting, they are very hard to confuse for anything else (and the plants you could confuse them for also happen to be edible), which makes them the perfect forage for a first-timer.

Here is everything you need to know:

• Early spring is a great time to forage for nettles as the plants are still young. If you are foraging a bit later into the year and the plants are much bigger, pick only the top third of the plant.

• Don’t pick the nettles once they have flowered, as they can irritate some people’s stomachs.

• Get yourself a pair of gloves. I don’t garden, so I don’t own any gardening gloves, but washing-up gloves do the job just fine. Make sure you have long sleeves and trousers on too!

• Once you get home, pick the leaves from the stalks and wash them really well. Blanch them in boiling water, then drain and squeeze out any excess water. The blanching will remove the nettle’s sting, so you can handle them with bare hands after that. You can freeze the blanched nettles for later use, or cook with them straight away. I like to make the pesto recipe below!

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NETTLE PESTO

One of the easiest and most delicious ways to eat your foraged nettles. There are endless ways to enjoy it!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1 jar

Ingredients

• 50 g walnuts
• 50 g nettles weighed after leaves are picked
• 20 g pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 30 g basil stalks and all
• juice of 1 lemon
• 125ml-175ml extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (fan assisted)/200°c/gas mark 6.

2. Spread the walnuts on a baking tray and roast for 7-8 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

3. Meanwhile, put on a thick pair of gardening gloves (or washing up gloves), and pick the leaves from the nettles, discarding all the thick stalks. Wash the leaves thoroughly under running water.

4. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the washed nettles and blanch for 20-30 seconds, until just wilted. Quickly remove the nettles from the water using a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of iced water. Once the nettles are cool, remove from the bowl and squeeze out as much water as you can (they will have lost their sting at this point so you can do this with your hands!).

5. Combine the roasted walnuts, nettles, pine nuts, garlic, basil, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and black pepper in a food processor. Blend, adding the extra virgin olive oil in a slow drizzle through the hole in the top, until almost smooth (you want it to retain a little bit of texture). Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

6. Spoon the pesto into an airtight jar and keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Nettle Pesto not quite your thing? Try my Pesto Hummus instead!