Tag Archives: stinging nettles

Spring Nourishing Root Soup

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burdock and dandelion in gardenLet’s get this straight – I am not a farmer, I am a forager by nature. I get great pleasure in walking the land and finding plants to add to our meal. Yesterday, I walked the land looking to see what was peeking up through the earth. I was overjoyed to see at least six patches of stinging nettles that were ready for a light harvest. In our small herb garden, there was a second year burdock emerging and some dandelions flourishing. I decided it was time to make my Spring Nourishing Root Soup.

Spring is the perfect time to cleanse the body and detox the liver. The liver works very hard for the body. It breaks down hormones, waste products, chemicals, and toxins.  The liver regulates blood sugar levels in concert with the pancreas.  It also metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; as well as stores many fat-soluble vitamins and iron.  The liver stores excess blood and supplies blood when there is reduced blood volume. The Spring Nourishing Root Soup is my gift to the liver, a delicious, nourishing and cleansing soup, so it can do a good job for our bodies.

Making nourishing root soup can be quite the task. The burdock is rather reluctant to leave the earth and holds on for dear life. I thought since the burdock was in the herb garden, which was weeded and disturbed, it would be easier to remove than one in an undisturbed area. There were fewer rocks for it to anchor onto, but I was very wrong. It seemed the root enjoyed the garden and grew very well and very deep. Frankly, I gave up after digging almost 2 ½ feet down with no end in sight. Hey, we didn’t need more burdock for the soup anyway.

It is important to harvest equal amounts of dandelion and burdock. Eaten alone burdock encourages the body to cleanse the body’s toxins through the skin, but when combined with dandelion toxins are released through urine. I think it is a much better way to eliminate toxins. Since, if you have too many toxins being released through your skin, it may result in pustules: yuck. Please never forget to add dandelions when eating burdock.

My Spring Nourishing Root Soup is just like my Nourishing Burdock Soup. The main ingredients are nettles, burdock, dandelion, ginger, garlic, onion, and turmeric. Now I am able to get fresh turmeric (normally I use powder) at the local health food co-op; it is a nice addition. Then I simply empty my produce bin into the pot.

Basket of nettles, burdock and dandelions

“Debbie’s Spring Nourishing Root Soup”                                                                        (portions are up to you and how much you actually want)

  • Dig up equal amounts of burdock and dandelion root (keep dandelion greens but compost burdock’s)
  • Harvest nettles
  • Sauté chopped onions in olive oil, when clear, add lots of chopped garlic, wait a couple minutes
  • Add peeled and chopped fresh ginger root, wait a couple minutes
  • Add peeled and chopped fresh turmeric root or 1 – 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • Add chopped shiitake mushrooms, wait a couple minutes
  • After a couple of minutes add broth (veggie or chicken) or water (4 -6 cups)
  • Add cleaned and chopped roots: burdock, dandelion, beets (keep tops for later), carrots, sweet potato, potato, turnip, or whatever floats your boat (I like to add sweet veggies to balance the bitterness of the dandelion)
  • Add nettles, dandelion & beet greens
  • Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 45 mins.
  • Put in blender or not (I blend it so Mathew eats it without picking out veggies but it tastes great either way)
  • Add 1 tsp. of miso to bowl
  • Pour soup over miso
  • ENJOY!

Mike claimed the soup I made yesterday was the best so far. I have to admit it was rather tasty. I added extra ginger and enjoyed how it worked with all the other ingredients, but did not overpower them. Mathew actually enjoyed it as well, which is a big deal, as he does not like cooked vegetables. Perhaps, it was exactly what our bodies were craving this spring. Regardless, remember to take care and nourish your liver so it can take care of you.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

 

Change

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Stinging Nettles emerging from their winter's sleep

Stinging Nettles emerging from their winter’s sleep

I love change. You can actually say I crave change, which is very helpful since things are always changing. Hey, we live on a planet that is turning while revolving around the sun. When things appear stagnant or nothing new is happening, I start to get antsy, even a little blue. Basically, I yearn for adventure and new experiences. Luckily, Mother Nature provides me with some much needed change after a dormant winter.

One of my favorite things to do is walk the land in early spring, checking out what lovely plants have decided it’s time to emerge from their warm, safe protective earth. On my first spring walk this year, I was so excited to see Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) breaking through the surface. All the potential and possibilities that nettles represent simply flooded my mind. Nettles are the ideal spring tonic to awaken the body from its winter sleep. They nourish and support the entire body, particularly the endocrine, immune, urinary, respiratory, and circulatory systems. Eating and drinking nettles help increase your metabolism, while building the body and blood as it nourishes the kidneys and the adrenal glands.  Since Nettles are a tonic for the kidney, adrenal, and thyroid glands, they help increase and stabilize energy levels. Used regularly for several months, they can also limit or actually prevent hay fever and other allergies.

You can call nettles a superfood since they are so nutrient rich. They are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and amino acids. They’re very high in calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and chlorophyll. Nettles are also high in chromium, cobalt, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and sulfur, as well as the B complexes, especially thiamine and riboflavin with rich supplies of niacin, protein, selenium, and vitamins C, D and K. Because of their dense concentration of minerals and amino acids, nettles help to build healthy bones, hair, skin, and teeth, as well as being an excellent tonic for pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women.

Not only are the greens incredibly good for you, they are delicious too. Right now, they are just peeking out of the ground but in a couple of weeks (perhaps earlier); I will harvest the tender tops and continue throughout the summer until they begin to set flowers. Once they start to flower, Nettles develop cystoliths in the leaves, which can irritate to the kidneys. I enjoy nettles in teas, soups and in my morning omelets. Some people even make nettle pesto; I can’t wait to try that this year. During the summer, I start to dry them so I can use them in teas during the winter and help my body abate spring allergy season.

It’s amazing how a simple walk outside can bring me such joy and promise of what lies ahead. As the daylight increases with guarantees of warmer days in the future, I will visit the land more frequently in joyful anticipation to see what change has happened since my last visit.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.