Clean.

An herbal retreat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am in the planning stages of an intimate gathering of women to be held in Northern Wisconsin in the coming season.

 

It will be a small group of kindred spirits coming together to create community and learn about plants, remedies, and how to care for our family's health with the bounty of the earth. 

 

Though our primary focus will be on making medicines and discovering the power of herbs, there will be ample time to explore the Lake Superior shoreline, relax in the sauna or hot tub, and visit with new friends beside the fire.

 

Each participant will learn about herbs as we work together making a variety of remedies - from teas and tinctures to salves and syrups. These remedies will go home with you, along with the knowledge (and written recipes and instructions) for making them again and again.

 

We will enjoy home-cooked nourishing meals, the beauty of the Northwoods, and the magic that happens when women gather.

 

If you're interested in learning more please send me an email at retreat@lusaorganics.com with the subject line of "women's herbal retreat" and I will send you a personal invitation with additional details today!

 

Oh, my. I can hardly wait.

 

Love,
Rachel

 

Herb and medicine-making photos above from the Homemade Medicine Making article I have in the current issue of Taproot: WANDER.

 

 

Wonderfully Wild: Purselane

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

        - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some days over here are rich with foraged foods. A recent day (nicknamed "wild food Wednesday" by the kids) was one such occasion. We enjoyed nettle and raspberry leaf tea; some garlic mustard and chickweed pesto; a batch of surprisingly tangy dock chips; and finally chickweed and lambsquarter spring rolls.

I was in my bliss.

Because honestly. What's not to love about free, nutrient-rich food?

After all that deliciousness, I thought it was time to bring you another post in the Wonderfully Wild series.

The goal of Wonderfully Wild is to share with you some thoughts on using wild, foraged plants in your family's meals and medicines. Plants that offer us so much more than their cultivated counterparts!

This series is written in real-time as the season unfolds. Nothing overwhelming or too technical, but just some simple herbs and roots and fruits you can enjoy to get your feet wet (sometimes literally!) with wild edibles and medicinals.

Today I'll be talking about a plant you've likely weeded from your garden and discarded without a thought. Today's wonderfully wild weed is purslane. 

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

The USDA calls purslane a "noxious weed" but nutritionists call it a "superfood". Looking a bit like a skinny jade plant, purslane is a common vegetable in India, Mexico, Greece, Italy, and other areas and is a prolific garden volunteer in most warm or temperate regions.

So what's so great about this houseplant look-alike?

It's nutritious and delicious.

Cool and crisp, juicy and sour-sweet, purslane is a one-of-a-kind garden find. Delicious cooked or raw, purslane is packed with nutrients, including a high dose of omega-3 fatty acids.

Nutrients in purslane include:

• The highest leves lof omega-3 fatty acids of any green plant (ALA-type)
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Betacarotine
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Manganese
• Antioxidants 

Purslane has also been used to treat arthritis, inflammation, and to improve circulation.

 

 

Field ID

To identify purslane in the field we'll look for its key distinguishing characteristics. Use the photographs above as a guide.

Stem: Purslane stems are round, somewhat thick, and hairless. The stems of older plants are often pink to red in color but can also be green. 

Leaves: The leaves are shaped in a similar fashion to a jade plant leaf, though thinner. That shape can be described as an oval or oval with a narrower end toward the leaf petiole. Veining is not obvious and when pierced with a thumbnail juice will be evident. Leaves are smooth and succulent.

Growth: Purslane grows in recumbently (or rambling across the ground), sending many branches out at ground level from one point, sharing a root system. The branches often lay on the ground but may also stand upright, depending on species and conditions.

Look-alikes: Spurge is another garden weed that resembles purslane. Thought they share a recumbant growth habit and reddish stems, spurge stems are more woods and thin that purselane's juicy, succlent variety. Spurge leave are also more flat and less succlent. 

Uses

Think of purslane as a superfood vegetable to include in your weekly meals. Harvest by pinching or breaking off the end of the stems. The ends are most tender, so don't go all the way to the base. If the stems are too thick remove them and eat just the leaves and the more tender stems. I've yet to harvest purslane without nibbling on some right there in the garden. (It's that good!)

Toss springs of fresh purslane into salads or add to soups and sauces as a thickener and nutrient bomb. Try on fish tacos, in spring rolls, in soups, stews, and slaws. Since purslane does contain oxalic acid refrain from eating ridiculous amounts of this plant raw. (All things in moderation, friends.) 

My recipe for sesame-ginger purslane coleslaw follows. 

 

Ginger-Sesame Purslane Coleslaw

Salad ingredients

• 3-4 C finely sliced cabbage, red, green, or combination
• 1/4 C sliced green onions
• 2-3 C purslane leaves and stems (large stem removed)
• 1 C snap peas, chopped
• 3 Tb sesame seeds, toasted until fragrant
• A few springs of Thai basil, sliced (optional)

Dressing ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic (minced) or 2 Tb minced garlic scapes
• 1 Tb peeled, grated gingerroot
• 2 Tb tamari
• 2 Tb apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tb toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 Tb oil of choice (coconut oil tastes spectacular in this dressing, but if your veggies are fridge-cold it will solidify when contacting the cold produce. 1/2 and 1/2 coconut and olive is a good choice or just olive if all of your grub is cold.)
• 1/2 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

Process

Toss salad ingredients in large mixing bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake until combined. (If you are using coconut oil you may need to place your jar of dressing in a bowl of warm water to liquify.) Taste, and adjust seasoning if desired. Pour dressing over salad at the table if you've made more than you can eat at one sitting. (I prefer the flavor freshly dressed) or toss salad with dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy! 

Oh, and you can find eight more promising purslane recipes here. 

(not so) Wonderfully Wild: Invasive Garlic Mustard

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome back to Wonderfully Wild! Today's post is the sixth in the series. (If you missed the rest - posted throughout the past few seasons - you can find them here.)

Wonderfully Wild is designed to share with you some thoughts on using wild, foraged plants in your family's meals and medicines. Plants that offer us so much more than their cultivated counterparts.

The series written in real-time as the season unfolds. Nothing overwhelming or too technical, but just some simple herbs and roots and fruits you can enjoy to get your feet wet (sometimes literally!) with wild edibles and medicinals.

I hesitate to use the word "wonderful" to describe the next plant in our Wonderfully Wild series, garlic mustard.

Here in the US garlic mustard is one of the greatest threats facing our native flora. But as an edible plant we have twice the motivation to remove it! Because by pulling all you find you'll be doing good for the ecosystem and filling your freezer with a tasty, nourishing green at the same time.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic mustard is an aggressively spreading biennial (two-year) plant. It quickly overtakes the forest floor and is very difficult to eradicate once it is established.

But garlic mustard is edible! It is high in Vitamin C, carotenoids and minerals and contains a good amount of fiber. (I recommend eating the second year plants only as the first year plants contain more of the bitter compounds that it uses for defense purposes and so are not as tasty.)

Field ID

To identify garlic mustard in the field we'll look for it's key distinguishing characteristics. Use the photographs above as a guide.

First year versus second year plants: The first year of garlic mustard growth appears as a low rosette of leaves at ground level. The second year plants are taller (up to 4' in height) and often multi-stemmed.

Leaves: First year leaves are dark green and kidney-shaped with a scalloped edge and deep irregular veining.

The second year leaves are heart-shaped, coarsely toothed, and emerging in an alternate pattern along the stem. I find the garlic scent to be inconsistent, but occasionally you will find the leaves smell of garlic.

Flowers: Clusters of white, four-petaled flowers occur on second year plants only, blooming from spring into summer.

Look-alikes: Here in Wisconsin the only near look-alike is for the first  year garlic mustard. The leaves resemble Creeping Charlie. However Creeping Charlie grows from a runner (a vine across the ground) rather than from a rosette. Also creeping charlie bears small purple flowers and has smaller leaves.

Uses

Public service: Do your part at protecting our native flora! Pull all garlic mustard you find, and keep at it year after year. It's a small chore to ensure a spring carpet of trillium, wood anemone, Dutchman's breeches, and other ephemeral plants continue to thrive in our woodlands. But take note! Second year plants will continue to flower and set seed even after pulling! Second year plants must be bagged and removed from the site to prevent further infestation. (Do not compost. Burn or bag and landfill.)

On the menu: Garlic mustard can be added to any sauteed greens mixture like nettle, spinach, or kale. Simply remove the leaves from the stem, cook and eat! A nice addition to a fritata or to your favorite saute mix.

My favorite way to enjoy garlic mustard, however, is as pesto. It's easy to make a great amount in a hurry. And the woods will thank you!

Remember: never eat plants you have harvested from a roadside. They often contain high amounts of toxins. Find a trail or forest for your harvest.

One additional caveat: Like other foods (including lima beans and almonds) raw garlic mustard leaves contain trace amounts of cyanide. The amount is tiny, but if you made a habit of eating copious amounts of the raw leaves it wouldn't be a healthy choice. Moderation (in all things) is your friend.

How to Harvest

Harvest garlic mustard as follows to reduce it's hold on your wild areas:

1. Ideally harvest in April or May before the plants begin to set seed. The best time to pull is after the ground has been softened by rain.
2. Grip the plant near the base and pull with slow, gentle, consistent pressure. It's important to get the roots but if the plant breaks off simply return later in the year to try again.
3. Shake off excess soil and transfer your plant to a plastic bag.
4. Repeat with every garlic mustard plant in the vicinity if possible, including the tiny wisp-like baby plants.
5. Come back next spring and begin again.

Recipes

Once you've done your good deed and pulled all the garlic mustard you can find, it's time to reward yourself with some pesto!

Woods Warrior Garlic Mustard Pesto Recipe

Serve on pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and eggs. A bit more bitter than a basil pesto, Garlic Mustard Pesto is bold and delicious. We brought a big bowl of Garlic Mustard Pesto noodles to our last potluck and they were gone in a snap! Even the kids loved them.

Pesto freezes well, so make extra and freeze in ice cube trays or flattened zip bags.

Ingredients

• 2 C packed garlic mustard leaves (stems and roots removed)
• 1 C packed nettle leaf, spinach, or other mild green
• 1/2 C sliced ramps, chives, or green onions (optional)
• 3/4 C olive oil or other neutral oil
• 2/3 C almonds or other mild nut
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or crushed
• 1 tsp salt

Process

Pluck garlic mustard leaves off of the stem and transfer to a strainer for washing. Rinse well and blot dry.

Transfer all ingredients to food processor. Pulse to combine, then run food processor until pesto is nearly smooth. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Note: Don't fret! Nettle loses its sting when pureed.

 

And finally, a special thank you to all of the garlic mustard crusaders out there. My new friend Jim at Wyalusing State Park, our tireless neighbors Alan and Shirley, and all of the others who devote their spring to killing or pulling this aggressive invasive. I salute you!

Wonderfully Wild: Watercress

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome to the first Wonderfully Wild post of 2016! If you missed the rest of the series, posted throughout the past year, you can find it here. Do pop over for a read. It's worth your while!

Wonderfully Wild is designed to share with you some thoughts on using wild, foraged plants in your family's meals and medicines. Plants that offer us so much more than their cultivated counterparts!

The series written in real-time as the season unfolds. Nothing overwhelming or too technical, but just some simple herbs and roots and fruits you can enjoy to get your feet wet (sometimes literally!) with wild edibles and medicinals.

Today we're exploring one of the earliest wild edibles of spring: watercress.

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

Watercress has a flavor you don't soon forget. Spunky and peppery; spicy yet cooling; juicy and satisfying. I've been foraging watercress since we moved to the Driftless in 2006 and I can't get enough of this zippy green.

Native to Asia and Europe, watercress is found throughout much of the world. It grows in almost every state in the US and most Canadian provinces. While find safe foraging places in some areas will be tricky, if you have access to cold, clean spring water chances are you'll find watercress.

Though watercress can be foraged year round, in early spring the flavor is divine. (After the summer heat comes on the plants grow leggier, and with their added height comes a heat that we don't enjoy as much as the tender springtime leaves.)

Why forage watercress?

First, it's fun to forage. Pull on your muck boots and head out for the springs and cold water creeks in your area! Even in late winter and early spring when there is still snow on the ground, watercress will be leafy and green and ready for harvest.

Watercress is also nutritious (containing a healthy dose of vitamins A, B6, and C; also calcium, folate, manganese, and riboflavin). And with that distinct, peppery bite it's a flavor powerhouse.

Field ID

To identify watercress in the field we'll look for it's key distinguishing characteristics. Use the photographs above as a guide.

Habitat: Watercress grows in clean, clear, cold springs, streams, and spring ponds in shallow water.

Important safety note: Harvest only plants from streams that are free of farm field run-off, as watercress from polluted creeks can harbor harmful pathogens including liver fluke. I have found plentiful watercress that I will not harvest becasue either I don't know what's upstream or I am unsure of how clean the water is. I harvest watercress from springs only (and near to the source) to ensure a clean and healthy harvest.

Growth: Watercress grows in rosette-shape in clusters of plants. As it grows it becomes a tangle of plants, growing just under or on top of the shallow water. As the season progresses the plants reach up and out of the water and small white four-petaled flowers will emerge. Pulling a plant from the water you will find a tangle of tender white roots emerging from the stem and between the leaves.

Leaves: Watercress leaves are compound with thee to nine leaflets per stem. Leaflets are approximately 1 inch across and oval to heart-shaped. Leaflets are arranged opposite along the stem with a larger terminal leaflet at the end. There is occasional maroon veining at the center of the leaf.

Uses

Think of watercress as arugala's wild little cousin. Enjoy in salads, sandwiches, soups, and sauces - anywhere a bright, peppery flavor would be welcome.

Watercress pesto is a long-time favorite way to enjoy this zippy flavor. My recipe follows!

How to Harvest

Watercress pulls easily from the loose, wet ground. Some people pull the entire plant and bring it home to process, however I find this not only reduced the amount of watercress available in my foraging area but makes my job much harder once I get home to the kitchen. Bring a pair of scissors with you (or use your fingers) and snap off the cress just below the water's surface. This will both protect the plant and reduce your work.

Watercressto (Pesto) Recipe

Serve on new potatoes, zucchini noodles, or your favorite pasta. Or spread on a sandwich, add to an egg bake, or spread on a pizza. The possibilities are endless!

Watercressto freezes well, so make extra and freeze in ice cube trays or flattened zip bags.

Ingredients

• 4 C washed watercress leaves (stems removed)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped
• Salt to taste

Process

Carefully wash watercress to remove any leaves, sand, or grit. Pick through your leaves carefully to remove twigs or dead leaves. Rinse carefully one more time to ensure you have removed all dirt.

Transfer ingredients to food processor. Pulse to combined and until nearly smooth. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Note: If the flavor of watercress is too spicy for you or your children, replace 1/3 to 1/2 of watercress with spinach.

 

 

 

 

Wonderfully Wild: Plantain

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

        - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome to the fourth post in the Wonderfully Wild series! If you missed the first three plants you can find them here.

The Wonderfully Wild series is designed to share with you some thoughts on using wild, foraged plants in your family's meals and medicines. Plants that offer us so much more than their cultivated counterparts!

A series written in real-time as the season unfolds. Nothing overwhelming or too technical, but just some simple herbs and roots and fruits you can enjoy to get your feet wet (sometimes literally!) with wild edibles and medicinals.

Today we're exploring the easy to identify, easy to love plant that most of you have in your backyard: plantain.

Broadleaf plantain (plantago major)

Plantain has had a place in my heart (and my medicine bag) since childhood.

Brought to North America by hitchhiking seeds that arrived with the first Europeans, plantain quickly took root across much of the continent. (It's nickname "white man's footprint" tells it's story well.)

Plantain is nearly everywhere! A tenacious survivor, you've surely pulled it from the cracks in your sidewalk and stepped on it as you walked down a rocky trail. Whole patches of my lawn are nothing but plantain this year. But that's just fine by me.

Uses

What is plantain good for? So many things! Here are a few of my favorites:

• Drawing: a great choice to help draw out splinters and stingers as well as infections
• Soothing: for burned, itching, or otherwise damaged skin
• Anti-microbial: great for treating or preventing infections
• Healing: stimulates cell growth which speeds healing
• Internal soother: a good gut-soother for treating diarrhea
• Nutrition: plantain is high in calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorous, zinc, and copper. Also rich with vitamins A, C and K
• Expectorant: helpful for treating coughs

Field ID

To identify plantain in the field we'll look for it's key distinguishing characteristics. Use the photographs above as a guide.

Please note: I'm focusing on broadleaf plantain, but another species, Plantago lanceolata, or narrow leaf plantain is common as well and can be used interchangeably with broadleaf.

Leaves: Plantain leaves are large, rather thick, and almond shaped. 

Leaf texture: The upper side of the leave is smooth with visible veins while the underside shows thick raised lighter-colored veins. If you tear a leaf in half, these thick veins often protrude from one side of the leaf like the strings from a stalk of celery. (I used to call plantain by it's charming nickname "frog's fiddle" because if you snap the leaf just so the strings stay connected to both halves you can imagine it becoming a perfect instrument for a cheerful frog.)

Stem: The thick veins in the plantain leaf continue down the stem which turns red to pinkish toward the base. A cross-section is u shaped, again reminding me of celery.

Growth: Plantain loves disturbed habitats like parks, lawns, trails, and roadways. Leaves emerge from a shape known as basal rosette. In English "basal rosette" means basal (from the base - or ground) rosette (in a rose-shape where each leaf is like a rose petal).

Flower stalk: A rough seed-covered spike emerges from the center of the rosette in summer.

Habitat: Plantain prefers poor, dry soil but can live in a variety of conditions.

Uses

Plantain can be used topically or taken internally. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this Swiss army knife of a plant.

Spit poultice: Learn how to make this if only to have a remedy at the ready with "spit" in the name. (Details below.)

Salve: Plantain salve is wonderful for skin irritations and itchy rashes

Wash: A plantain wash is helpful for infections or irritated skin

Recipes

Out-and-About Spit Poultice

This is not a recipe per se, but I couldn't help but list it as one. (Because really. Spit. Poultice. Recipe. I think I may have lost half of my followers right there.)

A spit poultice is your first line of defense when you are out and about without other remedies and disaster strikes. Bee stings, scraped knees, slivers, even stinging nettle can all be soothed by a spit poultice. (You can also make one with chickweed if you can't find plantain.)

Here is what you need:

• one plantain leaf
• your mouth or the mouth of an injured friend

To make a plantain spit poultice, simply find some plantain leaves (avoid dirty leaves or those growing near sprayed areas or roadside), pop a leaf into your mouth and chew it into a vibrant green paste.

(Because plantain is mucilageous it can be quite gooey.)

Apply the slimy mix to effected area and leave it in place to help draw out stingers, infections, and to reduce pain and soothe sore skin.

We love the spit poultice around here. I used one just yesterday on a sliver I couldn't get out while I was doing morning chores. Trust me. They work!

If possible, have the person who needs the poultice do the chewing. The benefit is that they will swallow some of the plantain juices which can speed healing though internal and external treatment.

Homemade Plantain Salve

A spit poultice is great, but this method will feel more, well... sanitary to some plant medicine newcomers.

Making a plantain salve at home is a wonderful way to get started with homemade plant medicine!

You can add additional herbs as well, depending on what is available in your yard or neighborhood. (Chickweed, burdock root, and violet leaf are all good choices.)

• 1/2 C fresh plantain
• 2/3 cups olive or sunflower oil (optional: substitute hempseed or jojoba oil for all or part of the olive oil, or a small amount of castor oil for up to 1/4 of the oil)
• 1 heaping tsp grated beeswax

Being sure there is no moisture on the plantain leaves, chop them finely and place in a clean, dry mason jar.

Heat your oil until it is warm to the touch (but not hot) and pour over the chopped plantain leaf.

Keep the jar warm on a heating pad, in a cooler half-filled with warm water, or in a slow-cooker set to warm. Allow to steep for 24 hours. (Alternatively you can also steep at room temperature for 2 to 4 weeks.)

Strain through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. Press on the leaves to extract every bit of oil you can, then discard.

Gently warm your strained oil. Melt beeswax in a double boiler. When it is liquid, add to warmed plantain infusion.

Pour into small jars and allow to cool.

Makes a short 1/2 pint.

Use on cuts, scrapes, bee stings, splinters, and rashes.

Plantain Wound Wash

Pick as many plantain leaves as you desire. Rinse well, the place in a pot that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour freshly boiled water over leaves to cover, then top your pot with a lid. Allow to steep until cooled, then strain out leaves and reserve liquid.

To use, apply to a clean soft cloth, then apply to wounds, bee stings, or poison ivy.

 

And one final note on plant medicine in general - trust your intuition.

Sage (12) recently had an ear infection. "I feel like plantain would be good for my ear ache," he told me.

Because of what I know about plantain I thought it was a great idea. So he went outside and found a plantain leaf, steamed it, then placed it in the outer ear, held in place beneath a hat. Before bedtime his ear pain was gone.

This is after two days of my attempts at treating it with other more classic herbal remedies for ear pain (garlic and mullen flower infusion).

Trust your intuition and research the plants you are drawn to! You might be surprised what benefits they bring.

 

P.S. None of this has anything to do with bananas.

 

Wonderfully Wild: Nettle

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

        - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome to the third post in the Wonderfully Wild series! If you missed the first two plants you can find them here.

The Wonderfully Wild series is designed to share with you some thoughts on using wild, foraged plants in your family's meals and medicines. Plants that offer us so much more than their cultivated counterparts!

A series written in real-time as the season unfolds. Nothing overwhelming or too technical, but just some simple herbs and roots and fruits you can enjoy to get your feet wet (sometimes literally!) with wild edibles and medicinals.

Today we're moving on to one of my favorite plants my favorite of all time: nettle.

I know what you're thinking. But it's true! I adore this plant. Once you get past nettle's, um, sharper side she's all minerals and magic.

Nettle (Urtica dioica)

If I could only forage one food for the rest of my days I think I would choose nettle. Yes, nettle! That stinging plant you despise when you stumble into a patch of it in woods? It's my favorite wild plant of all time. Here is why.

Uses

What's so great about nettle? According to Rosemary Gladstar, a quart of nettle tea contains more than 1000 milligrams of calcium, 15000 IU of vitamin A, 760 milligrams of vitamin K, 10% protein, and "lavish amounts" of most B vitamins.

Nettle ain't messin' around.

• It's a nutritional powerhouse! Think of it as a green multivitamin. Iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium... the list goes on and on.
• It's a natural, gentle energizer. Perfect for days you feel rung-out and run-down.
• Helpful for muscle aches and growing pains
• Natural treatment for PMS
• Helpful for treating seasonal allergies (freeze-dried capsules are best)
• Liver and kidney tonic
• Fabulous nervous system soother
• Great for hair and scalp care

Field ID

To identify nettle in the field we'll look for it's key distinguishing characteristics. Use the photographs below as a guide.

Unless you're a sucker for pain, always identify nettle without touching, as the hairs covering the stem and leaves will release formic acid when touched! Ouch.

To make nettle ID slightly more challenging there are two types: stinging nettle and wood nettle. One or the other is likely more common where you live, depending on soil type and climate. I'll address each separately, beginning with stinging nettle.

Stinging Nettle

Stem: Like the catnip we recently identified, nettle has a square stem. Unlike catnip and other mints, the stem is covered in small prickly hairs. Look closely to see them.

Leaves: The leaves pack less punch (sting-wise) than the stem but the hairs that cover them will still sting. Leaves emerge opposite along the stem (in pairs, one on one side and one on the other) and are elongated and pointed.

The leaf margin (edge) is toothed, teeth are more pointed than those we saw in catnip.

Leaf texture: The leaves are coarse and slightly scratchy, with obvious veining.

Growth: Stinging nettle will often grow in great clumps in full sun to partial shade, spreading readily.

Look-alikes: Once you identify the sharp hairs along nettle's leaves and stem you'll find no convincing look-alikes.

Also the sting is a great way to be sure you have the right plant, if you're self-sacrificing.

Wood Nettle

Stem: Wood nettle (like stinging nettle) has a square stem covered in prickly hairs.

Leaves: Wood nettle leaves are a pointed round to oval shape. The leaf margin (edge) is toothed with smaller teeth than common stinging nettle.

Lower portions of the plant will show leaves branching alternate (one leaf on one side, and another single leaf emerging further up the plant) while upper parts are opposite.

Leaf texture: Leaves are softer and thinner than stinging nettle and a more delicate, lighter green. Veining is not as deep as stinging nettle but still visible.

Growth: Wood nettle is found in great patches of same-height plants in shady forest areas, often knee- to waist-high. Don't wander in without long pants!

Look-alikes: Wood nettle somewhat resembles catnip, though the leaf and stem texture are different and the toothed leaf margins are more pointed on nettle. I find wood nettle's sting to be much worse that stinging nettle, so pick with care!

How to Harvest

Nettle harvest requires a bit of special care.

While some of us crazy foragers pick nettle bare-handed, it's a good idea to pick while wearing garden or work gloves, long sleeves and long pants.

In a pinch I often pick with plastic bags slipped over my hands as makeshift gloves. A kitchen towel also works for holding stems while you harvest or prepare to cook.

Always pick nettle before it begins to flower or set seed. (The flowers and seeds are little crumbly clusters between the leaves near the top of the plant. You'll see them.)

The topmost leaves are the most tender and nutritious and have the best texture and flavor. However for tea I'm a bit less discriminating and take larger lower leaves as well.

Break the stem off below the top three to four leaf pairs and place in your harvesting bag. When you get home, vigorously rinse in cold water to remove most of the stingers.

Uses

Tea: Nettle makes an outstanding tea. I add it to most of my tea blends simply for the minerals and nutrients it provides.

We love to drink nettle tea when we're feeling worn down or stressed. Just last week I made Lupine a tea blend with nettle, catnip, wild mint, and a few other foraged plants to ease her through a rocky morning. It worked like magic.

Try my nettle chai to be truly wowed by this nourishing wild plant.

To dry nettle for tea, tie together small bundles of nettle by the stems and hang to dry from your ceiling or rafters out of the sun in a dry place.

Alternately you can place the leaves in a paper bag, fold over, and set in a warm dry place. (Or, quickest of all, use your food dehydrator!)

Be sure your leaves are completely dry, crisp, and crumbly before jarring up for winter teas or you'll find mold and have a wasted harvest.

Sauteed: Nettle leaves are delicious sauteed and used in place of other cooked greens in any recipe. The texture is more grainy however, and it it can take some folks a while to warm up to it.

Tincture: If you aren't' crazy about herbal tea or cooked greens you can still benefit from nettle's medicinal properties with a tincture. Instructions to make your own are below.

Recipes

Want nettle recipes? Of course you do. Because sometimes it feels insane to punt when you're standing in your kitchen with a bundle of leaves burning your arms. Why reinvent the wheel?

I shared a round-up of recipes here, and so did Huffington Post.

And be sure to try my nettle chai to be truly wowed by this nourishing wild plant.

Nettle Tincture

Ingredients:

Freshly harvested nettle leaves

Menstruum (extracting liquid) of your choice (see below)

Wearing gloves, finely chop fresh nettle leaves. Make certain the leaves are not damp or wet.

Fill a 1/2 pint mason jar 2/3 full with loosely packed leaves, then cover with the menstruum of your choice.

The menstruum is the liquid into which the plant medicine will be infused. Your choices are many. I prefer brandy, but there are other options as well.

Brandy

80-proof. Produces a potent tincture with a milder flavor. One dose of tincture made with brandy contains less alcohol than a ripe banana!

Vodka

100-proof. Also effective to extract plant medicines, but makes for a harsher tincture.

Vinegar

Raw, apple-cider variety. Effective menstruum but makes for a weaker tincture. Increase tincture dosage by 1/2 if exacting in vinegar. Gently warm vinegar before pouring over herbs.

Glycerin

A by-product of the commercial soap-making industry, glycerin is my last choice for tincture making, but many herbalists love it for remedies for children because it is alcohol-free and sweet-tasting. If using mix 1 part glycerin with 1 part water before pouring over herbs. Increase tincture dosage by 1/2 if exacting in glycerin.

After the leaves are covered with liquid, continue filling the jar until full (there should be approximately 2" of liquid above the leaf layer.) Ensure that the herbs are not sticking out of the liquid or they will mold. (My mom suggests adding a well-washed rock to the top to hold the leaves below the surface of the liquid. Perfect. Thanks, Mom!)

Cover with a tight lid. Place the jar in a dark cupboard and allow it to steep (or macerate) for up to two months. Shake the jar gently whenever you think of it, daily is best.

Strain your tincture through cheesecloth, being sure to squeeze out any excess medicine from the leaves. Transfer the strained liquid to a clean, dry jar or dropper bottle, label, and store in a dark cupboard when not in use. Keeps almost forever!