Nettles freak me out!

[limbomonkey]

I haven't been stung by nettles, but Q has. Through his clothes. We were going for a walk, and he fell. He got really distressed by it. Normally he's the type to fall, brush himself off, then carry on. But he kept on rubbing his leg. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he was fine. Eventually, I stopped him and rolled up his pant leg. I thought

Comments

[second_banana]

Nettles are so tasty! I mean, yeah, harvest with gloves and blanch them first, but they are so good! Though I do know several people who eat them raw in salads. If they aren't stung in the picking they will be fine if they eat some.

Nettles are even in my pregnancy tea. :)

I'm sorry Q got stung though! That's no fun at all. Glad someone could identify and use the dock leaf for him.

[limbomonkey]

I'm a little confused about eating them raw... I heard you could cook and eat them or have them in tea, but I didn't know they were fine raw. Are some people not stung when picking them? Like how some people don't get poison ivy? I was concerned about getting stung in his lips, tongue, and internally (!), but I don't have to worry about the internally or tongue part anymore at least? Though sometimes he likes to eat plants "like a dinosaur" by just going up to the plant and biting it. I'll tell him not to do that so he won't get stung on his face.

[second_banana]

This is how my friend (who actually harvests nettles- I have no time for that!) does it. http://whisperingearth.co.uk/2010/03/16/how-to-eat-raw-nettles/

You really really don't need to worry about an internal sting. Lips and tongue, maybe if they aren't rolled or chewed first, but it won't cause any lasting harm.

[limbomonkey]

Thanks for the nettle info. I don't think I'm brave enough to try harvesting it myself without gloves though! But I am really curious about it.

I know it won't cause lasting damage, but it just made me sad to see my kid hurt :( He usually is such a tough guy (as a baby, I was worried that he had one of those diseases that makes you not feel pain), so I know that when he complains, he's really in pain.

[hamsterwoman]

Poor kid -- the strength of a nettle sting can vary a lot, and some of those really do hurt and linger. I grew up with nettles (and curing the sting with dock leaves, too :), so I just instinctively pick them out when we travel in Europe, but my kids, who aren't used to it, can't seem to do the same, although they steer clear of anything that hypothetically could be nettles.

Nettle leaves and the, um, notchings? crenellations? on them are both a lot sharper-looking than mint, and really than anything else, and then with the older plants you get the flower cluster thingies, like these, and I think the way the leaves grow out of the stalk is pretty different from mint, too, they grow up much more than mint does, and of course the leaves can get a lot bigger, too, for the older plants. It can be hard to tell from a top down picture, but I think easier to tell with a real plant when you see it in front of you

[limbomonkey]

My husband noticed the notchings and described them to Q like "shark's teeth," so I think that will help us remember. And in your picture, yeah the way the leaves come from the stalk is different. So that can help us tell the difference too. Thanks.