This week we learned all about highly nutritious stinging nettles, which are native to North America. Indigenous peoples such as the Kawaiisu have many medicinal and ceremonial uses for nettles, including walking through the plants to get stung on purpose in preparation for dreams and visions.
In the kitchen we made a potato and stinging nettle soup with nettles foraged in Mendocino County. Students used tongs to blanch the nettles and were able to chop them up afterwards as heat deactivates the sting. The aroma as the nettles were cooking is reminiscent of spinach! In addition to working with a wild ingredient that is difficult to find at a local grocery store, we got to play with immersion blenders to make a smooth, pureed, deep green soup after all the vegetables were cooked through. Many chefs garnished their soup with crème fraîche, a drizzle of olive oil, and some locally grown society garlic edible flowers.
