Wild Nettle Soup
Here, finally is that nettle soup I promised you a few weeks ago. Don’t be scared by the word wild, yes I foraged this nettle but if you cannot find it growing wild like a weed in your garden or out in the woods, I have found it easily at the farmers’ markets. Nettle is another one of my favorite nutritional powerhouses. High in minerals and antioxidants including vitamin C.
It may reduce inflammation, treat hay fever, lower blood pressure, aid in lowering blood sugar and treat enlarged prostate. I make a tea with it (see my IG reel for instructions) and have also juiced it but my favorite way to prepare it is making a vibrant pureed soup. Even my 12-year-old loves it. Be very careful handling the nettle plant as it is COVERED in tiny sharp hairs, that when they touch your skin, make it red, inflamed and itchy. Use gloves and it won’t be a problem. I use gardening or thick dish washing gloves when I handle the leaves. My husband says there is a way to handle them in a certain way, where one won’t be poked but I have not personally tried it. If you do get poked use a strip of masking or packing tape to lift up the hairs, then wash the area with warm water. Honestly, I don’t want to scare you. I rarely have an issue. The soup is pretty quick and easy and the tiny hairs are not in the soup, not at all. I like to serve individual bowls of the soup garnished with a swirl of plain almond or sheep yogurt, (use a chopstick to make pretty designs), lemon zest, a little drizzle of olive oil, chopped chives and some edible flower petals (Corn or Borage flowers add a pop of blue) and some black salt.
4-5 servings/ prep time 30 minutes/ cook time 25 minutes/ total time 55 minutes
Gather
2 tablespoons/ 29.57 ml avocado oil or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 medium Japanese sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
5 cups/ 1.2 liters vegetable broth (water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube)
5-6 cups / 640-768 g fresh, washed nettle leaves (no stems)
1/2 teaspoon / 2.84 g grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Make
Heat up a medium size pot over a medium high heat. Add the oil, then add the onions, celery, carrots and Japanese sweet potato and cook for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently. Add the garlic and bay leaf. Mix briefly. Add the broth or water and lower the heat to a low setting. Cook for 10 more minutes. Then in batches, using tongs, add the nettle. Add each batch as the nettle wilts. Once all the nettle is in the pot, cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Add the mixture to the blender. You should be able to do it in one batch. Puree 2-3 minutes until smooth. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until incorporated. Pour into individual bowls, garnish and serve.
Recipe developed by Anna Getty
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