Stinging Nettle Pesto Recipe: Nutritious and Easy

A plant with a bite has trapped curious minds for decades—before and after cooking, stinging nettle is a polarizing green.

What is stinging nettle?

Stinging nettle is a humble-looking green. Stinging nettle lives up to its name—its surface is lined with bits of silica that stings bare skin like a bee. But something magical happens when you cook it. The stinging nettle burns your skin the second you brush it but when local nutritious green becomes different. Stinging nettle is a plant high in iron and protein. Cooking releases its nutritional properties, making it one of the most nutritious greens on earth. The plant that fights back is better for you than anything in the produce aisle. The plant is known for being tough, but that toughness hides an incredible arsenal of nutrients. What's left after cooking is loaded with iron and protein, not to mention a tough texture that makes it ideal for pesto.

The Underground World of Wild Greens

Stinging nettle is a report of the world of wild edibles. With a little care you can find stinging nettle growing in the same fields as cultivated greens. At first it might sound crazy, but eating wild greens isn't new, it's an old tradition, and Localize supports and promotes it. Plant defenders have been guarding the right to forage for decades. The plant that eats you is a wild green that's now getting a makeover. A mainstream company is using it as an ingredient in health foods. Localize also promotes the Localize app, which not only makes enjoying these nutritious plant easier, it also offers a social aspect; supporting the trend of foraging for food.

Nutritional and Culinary power of the plant

A blast of power in every bite

Stinging nettle is strong. Its most famous power is stinging skin and flesh like a bee. But before and after cooking the stinging nettle speaks to its nutritional power the way pesto clinches its deliciousness every time you bite into it. Use short and simple cooking times to bring out the character in stinging nettle. In pesto, pesto made from stinging nettle and garlic is not intended to be a snack. It is nutritionally powerful. In fact, one of the best ways to understand the power of stinging nettle is to see what it's made of. When you taste the stinging nettle pesto the way top chefs do, you'll feel more like a cook than a scientist. For starters, the plant's name speaks to its character. Nettle species share this trait. Stinging nettle is the toughest and most nutritious of the lot.

Structure of the plant

Stinging nettle has a sturdy stem and leaves. The leaves have green-and-white veins. They have a metallic sheen. But the leaves shouldn't be too green on their undersides, or they won't cook well. In cooking, the key to stinging nettle is to avoid chewing the leaves. The nutritional power comes from the leaves and not from the stems. Scientists have found that the leaves are the strongest. The plant that eats you is as strong as it is nutritious. It's important to bring out the character of the leaves. Stinging nettle is a plant of the leaf. Everything about it is centered around the leaves and that's what makes these leaves so special.

How the plant fights back

The stinging component of stinging nettle is what gives it its name. It's also important to point out that stinging nettle is the most important plant to understand. It's a plant that fights back. Stinging nettle grows in the wild. It can be eaten raw, but it's not recommended because it contains oxalic acid. This acid is why you can get a headache from eating raw spinach or raw peppers. So the plant that fights back – as you cook it – releases its nutrients. The key to cooking stinging nettle is to heat it at any temperature long enough to break down its cell walls and release its nutrients.

“Foraging” is beyond a fad

The trend of foraging for food has been growing for years. In particular, stinging nettle has gained attention. There are many stories about its nutritional benefits. But the truth is that the plant fights back is better for you than anything in the produce aisle. It's true that the plant that fights back is the best food you can eat. It leaves its sting when cooked and its nutritional power remains. This means it is possible for consumers to use a plant like stinging nettle as a staple in their diet.

What’s the best way to cook stinging nettle?

If you're interested in cooking with stinging nettle, there are a few things to keep in mind. The plant will fight back.

• Get it Raw:To find Stinging nettle you’ll need the Localize app and a warm day. It is important to know how and where to get stinging nettle. The best way to begin is to ask questions about the plant both online and in your local community. If it’s your first time using the plant, look for experts in the field to guide you. Find a group by searching for a gardening or foraging club near you with a Google or Yelp search. A few groups have public group meets where you can learn and forage together. There are more than one type of stinging nettle so research the specifics. Don’t just pick the leaves.
• Find a recipe: You could start with a simple dish of pesto and an ounce of stinging nettle. One option is to start with a recipe. You can find reliable sources online or in blogs. Try a local cooking club or online to learn more about pesto. It’s very possible to make a dish from a recipe.
• Cook it:Find a recipe that guarantees it is cooked enough. For pesto, make sure to chop the leaves fine, and combine them in the food processor with the garlic and oil together. It’s not the fastest way to cook for pesto, but it’ll last through the week.
• Serve it: As far as cooking specifics, keep in mind that the nutritional power will still be there when you cook the stinging nettle to your liking. The creation pesto and other dishes are useful culinary tools because it’s easy to experiment. You can cook the plant that eats you to any texture depending on your preferences. It’s a nutritious green. The pesto will bring great flavors to any dish.