The rewards of a long winter are quite visible now…

Stinging nettles are beginning to pop up all over. They’re much easier to harvest with bare hands when they’re young, though who doesn’t enjoy the occasional injection of acetylcholine and histamine from the matured specimens directly into your fingers? (…legs sometimes, too. And I have to admit, I have sat on them more than once…)

Nettles are some of the tastiest wild greens, they’re nutritious, and they’re quite medicinal, too. Research shows that various parts of the plant may treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), type 2 diabetes, and allergic rhinitis (allergies).  To learn more about the health benefits of stinging nettles, check out this recent article I created over at Wild Foodism.

Enjoy the seasonal transition while it lasts… it’ll be summer before we know it. Until then, happy spring foraging!

Photo taken at North Park in Allegheny County, Western Pennsylvania.