stinging nettles and eggs - how to harvest and cook nettles

http://www.permies.com

Jocelyn Campbell of http://www.jocelynsevents.com demonstrates harvesting nettles and then cooking nettles into eggs.

She starts with harvesting nettles. She cuts off the tops of the nettle plants because those are the most tender. And she leaves the bottom of the plant so it can grow back and we can get more later.

She explains how when you try to pinch the tops of the nettles off instead of cutting, you might accidentally pull out the whole plant. She shows a nettle plant where she had pinched before and it looked like it didn't recover too well although you could see new growth getting started.

Jocelyn is using some gloves that have a fabric on the back and she points out that the nettles can sting through the glove.

Nettles have more protein than any other plant that I know of. When I have a hankering for hamburger, nettles feed that hankering. While I am typically not a fan of greens, I am a fan of stinging nettles. When cooking, you can use them almost the same ways as with spinach.

Jocelyn washes the nettles by floating them in water. She then rinses the nettles with running water and shakes them dry in a sieve. She uses wooden spoons/paddles to move the nettles.

She cuts the nettles just a little - and leaves the stems in.

Nettles will shrink a bit when you cook them.

Jocelyn thinks the nettles smell woodsy greenery. I think it smells like rain.

The nettles are sauteed in a cast iron pan. A lid is put on for a few seconds. Once nettles have been cooked for about 30 seconds, they loose all of their sting.

Then eggs are added on the side. And then scrambled later.

While eating them Jocelyn thinks they aren't so good because the eggs are brown from cooking at too high of a temperature. And the nettles didn't cook down as much as she thought they would.

Music by Jimmy Pardo.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• stinging
• nettles
• sting
• eggs
• protein
• cast
• iron
• eco
• green
• permaculture
• organic
• environment
• plants
• wild
• food
• cooking
• foraging
• nettle
• cooking eggs

[BoondockFarms]

so if you blend these up in a blender, they loose their sting?

[paulwheaton12]

@BoondockFarms yes! I think running them through a blender would get rid of the sting too!

[zestoslife]

Paul - where do you find the time to take all these excellent videos?! Love it

[paulwheaton12]

@zestoslife how do I find the time? I dunno. I think it helps to be powerful keen on doing it!

[nannerin]

Your channel is the bestest! Thanks Paul! I really do appreciate your endeavor to share valuable information.

Where can I get nettle seeds?

[paulwheaton12]

@nannerin From nettles! Or, do you mean you want to buy seeds? To buy seeds, I don't know - I've never bought seeds.

[tobitadagon]

@matthewandrobert I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them, Sam-I-Am

[matthewandrobert]

Hahaha "Samuel - a friend who cooks eggs"

Thank you.



[stevegrogan1]

Can Jocelyn wear a bikini top in the next video? I'm gonna try this instead of spinach next time I make eggs. Great video!

[EricPerson]

The best part of this video is at around 7:21 when a magic gnome steals several tablespoons of ketchup from the bottle without anyone noticing...

[a16gregjockca]

@paulwheaton12 your videos and hippy comments are hilarious to laugh at. stinging nettle spikes lodged in my intestines? no thanks. i'd rather eat plastic. ROFL!

[ChicoFoodGrowFriends]

I just went to a place where they used stinging nettle to stimulate our blood circulation to aid in detox (from environmental toxins), it stings for about 5 minutes, then goes away. They brush it all over your body, then rub you off with a cold washcloth.

[lizguini]

Yum, can't wait to find some in my area!

[wenrolland]

Very nice, I will try this out at my collective garden!

[vutEwa]

I have a friend who's been preaching to me the merits of two plants in particular for high protein greens.  Chia and Amaranth. She claims that Amaranth is the highest, and Chia is a close second place. What do you know about how Nettles ranks against Chia and Amaranth?

[keldaoen]

I'm inclined to cook the nettles first like Jocelyn did, but just let them get steamed longer. The fresh nettles after eggs can sting you. I speak from experience. But, if I had Paul hovering over me with a camera maybe I would've sped things up too!

I call the nettle flavor deep-forest-nutty.