Mean, green and abundant in Virginia’s wild, stinging nettles can be tamed and turned into spring-worthy fare. —Nicole Bayne
Procure
Avoid the sting
“They’re just a weed; who knew you could eat them?” says Restaurant Eve’s Cathal Armstrong on the stinging nettle, a plant native to Virginia. Armstrong says he finds them on the roadside in the Shenandoah Valley and in wetter areas like the Potomac Valley.
But be careful because the name isn’t a misnomer. Nettles’ stinging hairs can cause a rash if you’re not cautious. Though you should be gloved while foraging, the wild provides an antidote: dock leaf, which grows next to nettles. Says Armstrong, “If you rub dock leaf on the rash caused by nettles, the rash goes away—one of nature’s miracles.”
Local farmers markets also sell nettles; when shopping, look for dark green nettles without yellow edges. Once at home, blanching nettles will prevent rashes and preserve the bright color.
Eat
Spring scents
Gypsy Soul’s Chef RJ Cooper uses the menacing leaf in a cannelloni. Sauteed nettles are folded into sheep’s milk ricotta with morel mushrooms and sorrel blossoms and stuffed in the pasta.
“[The plant’s] spinach-y cucumber flavors and herbaceousness go well with certain fish, light game meats, mushrooms and fowl,” says Cooper.“ [Nettles] are aromatics to enhance the flavors.” Expect to see the dish at the Mosaic District restaurant later this month.
Drink
Steep to cleanse
House of Steep in Arlington uses nettles with marshmallow (the root, not the gelatinous s’mores component) and dandelion leaf in the caffeine-free house blend Restorative ($4.50 cup, $6 pot). General manager Miko Furushima doesn’t have to worry about getting stung, as the nettle comes processed and ready for steeping.
“It’s a great anti-inflammatory, a blood cleanser,” she says. The drink, says Furushima, takes on a grassy aura and an earthy smell.
Furushima says the marshmallow, a hardy root that coats the stomach and boosts the immune system, and the muscle-toning dandelion leaf react with the cleansing nettle to bring recuperative properties in this post-exercise drink.
(April 2015)
