Nettle Pesto Recipe

blog post nettle pesto recipe jennifer raye

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is growing everywhere right now!

If you’re feeling adventurous and you want to get out into the forest and meadows you can find them popping up all over this time of year. You can also find them being sold at some health food stores, so look around and you might get lucky.

Incorporating nettles into your diet this time of year is a wonderful way to eat organic, local and seasonal.

Nettles are the perfect spring food. They contain high levels of iron, minerals, silicon, and vitamins C and A. To learn more about the medicinal qualities of nettle watch my Wellness Wednesday video about nutritive herbs here.

Nettles can be eaten and used medicinally as a tonic for a boost of nutrition, for chronic skin problems, and for general detoxification. They’re a great blood purifier because they primarily target the liver and kidneys.

The best way to use nettle is to harvest the tender tops when the plant is around 6-18 inches tall. Use scissors and clip off the tops of the young spring plant. It’s a good idea to use gloves as the plant leaves a sting on the skin.

If you’re not familiar with this plant find a knowledgeable friend or use a good plant ID book. Nettles are pretty easy to find because they have a sting, so be careful!

To deactivate the sting cook the nettles in boiling water for 2- 4 minutes and them use in cooking.

Once you’ve harvested nettles there are many ways to incorporate them into your cooking.

Start by lightly steaming nettles as the cooking process will deactivate the sting. Use the cooking water for tea or save it and use it in soup.

You can also blend nettles with other spring greens in a juice or smoothie.

If cooking the nettles, use them as you would any other green. Nettles shrink when cooked, similar to other greens like spinach, so be sure to cook enough.

Below you’ll find a favourite recipe of mine for a spring pesto made of nettles. Pour this pesto over pasta, toss with a few other spring veggies like zucchini, sugar snap peas, asparagus or arugula, and enjoy!

Nettle Nesto Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 handfuls of nettles
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 juice of a lemon
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  • Cook the nettles for 2-4 minutes.
  • Strain the water (keep this water for nettle tea — very nutritious and delicious).
  • Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor except the olive oil.
  • Once everything is combined, slowly add the olive oil until the desired consistency is achieved.

Serve however you use pesto — with pasta, on bread, in other dips.

If you want to save some for later add some extra olive oil on the top and store in the fridge.

Seasonal Self Care for Spring Online Course

Chinese Medicine Food Therapy Online Course

Share This Post:

More To Explore

blog post nourishing beet soup jennifer raye

Nourishing Beet Soup

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a ...
Read More →

The 24 Seasonal Points or Solar Terms of TCM

As the landscape and climate shift with the changing tides of the seasons, our bodies and minds experience these changes too. Of ...
Read More →
blog post 3 ideas to spice up your morning oatmeal jennifer raye

3 Ideas to Spice Up Your Morning Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be a great way to start your day. It’s warm and filling. It’s cheap and quick. It’s healthy and whole. ...
Read More →
blog post natural remedies for stress jennifer raye

Wellness Wednesday :: Remedies for Stress

Today’s video is about stress and some powerful herbal medicines called adaptogens that we can use to mitigate the effects of stress on the body ...
Read More →
blog post resources for deep resilience and calm jennifer raye

Resources for Deep Resilience and Calm

*Originally published March 2020 These last few weeks have been a swirl of uncertainty, decision making, and fear for so many folks, so I just ...
Read More →
how to do an elimination diet jennifer raye

How to do an Elimination Diet the Right Way

An elimination diet is a great way to press the refresh button, develop mindfulness around food habits, and discover foods you’re eating that are causing ...
Read More →
Scroll to Top