It’s Nearly Nettle Season
Nettle is one of my favorite foods of early spring.
Freshly harvested nettle!
After a winter of heavier meals and limited fresh greens, nettle is among the first wild plants to appear. Cooking with seasonal herbs like nettle is one way to bring new flavors and variety into a diet that can feel restricted (something many of us navigating Alpha-gal syndrome experience).
Nettle is also a leafy green. When cooked, it works anywhere you might normally use spinach or chard. For people managing AGS, finding new greens can make it easier to build satisfying meals around plant foods.
Many nutrition experts recommend eating leafy greens daily. Dr. Annie Fenn, author of Brain Health Kitchen, suggests aiming for two cups of raw leafy greens or one cup cooked each day. Seasonal greens like nettle are one way to help meet that goal, especially in the spring when they’re abundant. Simply cook, puree, crush, or dry nettles to stop their stinging effect.
People often point to nettle’s rich iron and calcium content, but it’s worth noting that these minerals show up in smaller amounts in nettle infusions (like tea) than many articles suggest. You would have to drink a lot of tea. If you’re concerned about meeting your iron or calcium needs while following an AGS diet, it’s best to discuss vegetarian or vegan options with your doctor or healthcare professional.
Cooking with seasonal herbs like nettle expands your ingredient list. Learning a few seasonal plants can add flavor, nutrients, and variety, while also getting you outdoors and sometimes even reducing grocery costs. Spending time outside looking for edible plants is one of my favorite things to do.
Nettle growing in early spring in upstate New York.
More Nettle Recipes
If you’re new to cooking with nettles, start simple. Cooked nettles make a great swap for spinach.
Want to Learn More About Nettle?
If you’re interested in working with herbs more regularly in the kitchen, I wrote an entire section on nettle in my book Plant Magic: Herbalism in Real Life. It covers how to identify, harvest, and enjoy nettles in your home kitchen.
You can find the book here.