#deb soule

[hicksandhalf]

Foraging with Deb Soule by Alysia Mazzella Jefferson, Maine April 2014

[the5hclub]

The stinging nettles growing in the "prairie wetland" section of the Foraging Circle are looking gorgeous.

Well,  I haven't always thought nettles were gorgeous.  When I was little, spring was the terrible season in which my mother made me drink large warm glasses of nettle juice. Though I dreaded it, the sweet, metallic, green-brown juice was required, by household law, to be downed before dinner.

But like so many childhood enemies , I did grow to love them. The about-face really happened a few years ago while I was apprenticing for the amazing herbalist Deb Soule, of Avena Botanicals (http://www.avenabotanicals.com/.)  Nettles are one of Deb's favorite herbs. She drinks nettle tea every morning in spring to gather strength for the summer season. She uses the powerful plant to help many of her clients with countering anemia and increasing blood-flow (among many other uses.)

That metallic taste I despised is in fact due to the large amount of iron and other minerals contained in the plant's leaves and stems. Deb even encourages picking a few leaves bare handed, allowing the nettle's hairy leaves to sting you. The nettle's sting is a wonderful, beneficial "poison" that can stimulate blood circulation--much like the sting of a honeybee.

Deb even uses blanched nettles (blanching removes the sting from the leaves) to make pesto, a means of getting even die-hard nettle-phobes to devour them--if properly prepared with walnuts, garlic, and plenty of parmesan cheese. Here's a basic recipe:

Ingredients: 2 giant bunch of stinging nettles, blanched 1/2 cup olive oil 1-2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup parmigiano cheese 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts

Instructions: Blend all ingredients into sauce and add to pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more parmigiano! Eat!    --Bridget