STINGING NETTLE – Urtica Dioica, Perennial Forb/Herb

One of the most nutritious and best tasting wild vegetables in the southeast is called stinging nettle, botanical name Urtica Dioica. There are several subspecies of this Urtica Dioica, an there are numerous other "Urtica" species which are edible but certainly not all nettles in the Urticaceae (Nettle) family are edible, and some may even be toxic, so as long as we stick to the edible ones we will be just fine.

 

Stinging Nettle - Urtica Dioica

There are actually a couple of subspecies of Urtica Dioica here in the eastern United States; Stinging Nettle, U. Dioica ssp. Dioica and the California Dioica ssp. Gracilis. As you can see from the picture above the leaves are toothed and usually pair off in twins off the main stem. The other thing to look for is the stinging hairs on the stems, hence the name stinging nettle.

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Stinging Nettle - Urtica Dioica



Notice above that the leaves alternate with Stinging Nettle, unlike false nettle and wood nettle.

Don't let the "sting" scare you away because usually after a short period of time after picking the plant wilts and the stinging sensation completely leaves, but if not it is most certainly removed by boiling, and there are really no poisonous look a likes that has these leaves AND thing stinging hairs on the stems. There is a plant called false nettle that resembles wood nettle, however false nettle does NOT have the stinging hairs but instead has smooth stems.

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Stinging Nettle "Stinging Hairs" on Stem

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False Nettle - No Hair on Stems - DO NOT EAT THIS

The False Nettle in the picture above is NOT edible that I am aware of.  I boiled some, just like I boiled Stinging Nettle and I can tell you that this plant produced a brown, tea like water while boiling and Stinging Nettle produced a green liquid.

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Stinging Nettle Leaf (Top), False Nettle Leaf (Bottom) - DO NOT EAT FALSE NETTLE

Stinging Nettle grows in open fields, yards, gardens, roadsides and other similar settings. Wood Nettle and False nettle both usually grow in shaded canopies with filtered sunlight and look more similar to each other than False Nettle and Stinging Nettle. Always keep in mind to look for the stinging hairs.

The leaves are completely edible and can even be eaten raw under the right conditions.  Young stems and leaves can be cooked as a vegetable or steamed.

Some references say to stay away from the older leaves on older plants in summer and fall because their prolonged use may contribute to developing gritty particles called cystoliths which can irritate the kidneys. The gritty particles are noticeable, and the older leaves have a much stronger taste anyway, so it won't be hard to tell what's what.

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Mess of Stinging Nettle Ready to Clean

It's easy to prepare the leaves, just pick off the stems.  Young and tender stems can also be eaten as well, but obviously the older ones are too fibrous to eat.  Stinging Nettle is very high in minerals which are easily digested, particularly iron and the vitamins A and C. 

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Steaming with Water, Butter, Salt and Pepper

I placed a little water and some butter in the boiler to be steamed.  I only steamed them for about 4 minutes.  Any water that is collected is also nutritious. 

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Sautee with Butter and Seasonings

I sautéed some of the leaves in butter as well. I added salt, pepper and garlic. I have to admit, they were good, but a bit strong on the butter and garlic side. Half and half with oil and butter and less garlic would have been better. This plant doesn't really need much to season as they are good by themselves.

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Finished Product, Absolutely Delicious and Nutritious

There are other ways to cook this plant. The leaves can also be dried and used later in soups or in making an herbal tea called nettle tea. Nettle soup is a very popular wild soup in Europe.

This is one of the top vegetables as far as taste, edibility and nutrition. It has other valuable uses as well. Leaves may be dried for winter use and were often used to make the nutritious nettle tea. Also this plant has chemical properties allow it to be used to curdle milk. The plant has been popular for making cordage over the years and also has medicinal uses.



"Yaupon Holly", Ilex Vomitoria

Yaupon Holly (Ilex Vomitoria) grows in the southeastern United States, north to Virginia and west to Texas.  It is in the Holly family and is often planted as an ornamental tree, even though it grows wild.

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Yaupon Holly, Ilex Vomitoria
Fresh right off the Tree

Yaupon Holly (Ilex Vomitoria) makes great tea. No, I didn't say American Holly, which is much better known for making a great tea. American Holly does not have caffeine at all, however, it goes back to the early American Colonists and was used extensively in the eastern U.S.  It was especially popular in the south during the civil war when supplies were cut off from the north. Matter of fact, American Holly tea was recorded as being drank right down the road from us in Alabama's first capital Old Cahawba. As popular and historical as American Holly is, Yaupon Holly goes back even further than that and was used extensively by the early Native Americans, particularly in the southeast, oftentimes during purification rituals.

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Yaupon Holly, Ilex Vomitoria
Fresh right off the Tree

And Yaupon has a lot of caffeine, just as much if not more than coffee. Matter of fact, it is said that it has more caffeine than any other plant in North American and after drinking a couple of glasses of this delicious tea, I believe it.  Not only does it contain the caffeine, but it also contains theobromine which is another stimulant that is found in chocolate and some types of tea leaves as well.

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Yaupon after air drying for a couple of months.

Because of the high caffeine content, one must be careful not to drink too much. One expert told me six small leaves per cup. That is probably about right, although I used 6 large leaves per cup which tasted good, but may have had a little too much caffeine.

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Yaupon Holly, Dried Leaves

The Native Americans would use it for purification ceremonies and to test their manhood, so to speak. They would fast for days and then make a very thick and rich concoction with the leaves and drink it. Eventually they would throw up (hence the Vomitoria part of Ilex Vomitoria). The man left standing without throwing up, well, was the man.

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Yaupon Holly, Crushed Dried Leaves

Now, because of the "vomitoria" history of the plant, some people are a little gun shy and will tell you that you must air dry the leaves until brittle and then roast the leaves or you might experience the vomiting sensation, but keep in mind that the Native Americans fasted for days and did not eat anything, and then they made a very "thick" brew. Personally, I just air dried the leaves for a couple of months and then boiled them for five minutes, then poured the tea in a pitcher and boiled them again for another five minutes.

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Crushed Dried Leaves inside a Tea Bad on to Boil

I had absolutely no bad feelings at all, only a slight caffeine buzz after a couple of glasses. The tea was delicious. I have since found out that roasting half of the leaves and air drying the other half would have given a different, maybe even better taste, but to me, it tasted better than tea you buy in the store, which leads one to wonder, "Why did people get away from Yaupon Tea to begin with?". Maybe coffee replaced it, or maybe the "Vomitoria" part scared people away, but either way as the old saying goes "your loss is my gain".

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Alternate Way - Crushed Dried Leaves in Strainer Submerged in Boiling Water

I like this tea so much that I want to plant a Yaupon Holly in my yard and incorporate it into my life style. Not only is it good, it is full of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and packed with antioxidants.

"Man of the Earth" or "Wild Potato Vine", Ipomoea Pandurata

Wild Potato Vine is also called "Man of the Earth" or "Man Root", Morning Glory and Bigroot Morning Glory.  It is a perennial vine with heart shaped flowers and purple stems.

As before, make sure to check out my disclaimer at http://www.thedewberry.blogspot.com/2012/05/disclaimer-eat-at-your-own-risk.html

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 White  funnel shaped flowers with ruby/purple throats are a good indicator.

Wild Potato Vine and I have a history.  It has been eluding me for years.  Yes, I have been searching for this plant with the giant edible tuber for at least  seven years, in my spare time of course, and today, I finally found it so I couldn't wait to cook and try it.  So today is a great day and I feel wonderful.  If I were still the deer hunter I was in my youth, it would be like bagging a trophy buck.

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The heart shaped "morning glory" shaped leaves are another indicator.

The Latin name for Wild Potato Vine is Ipomoea Pandurata.  Daniel Moreman states that the Cherokee Indians ate the roots for food.  Elias talks about the edibility and so does the Peterson Field Guide, which also states the raw root is a purgative, so I'd suggest cooking first.

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The large edible tuber is the final indicator.  It even smells like a sweet potato.

The trouble with locating the wild potato vine is that it is part of a very large family of vines called morning glory that all look very similar; matter of fact, there are around 68 species in the morning glory family.  I have dug up many a morning glory over the years only to be disappointed not finding the large edible tuber associated with "Man of the Earth".  However, like most edible plants, once you locate it and eat it the first time, you'll never forget it so it makes it much easier to find.

Once you find the tuber, you will know it.  They grow up to 24 inches long straight down and there is a little bit of digging involved but it's worth the trouble.  This particular tuber was 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

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I know this looks like you might need a chainsaw to cut, but a kitchen knife is all that's needed.
The root/tuber looks like a large vertical yam and wild yam is also a vine with heart shaped leaves, although some wild yams are poisonous.

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 Boil out any bitterness in the older tubers with a few changes of water.

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Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake 40 minutes like baked potatoes

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It looks like a tree, but it's actually tender and pliable.

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Cut off the outer bark and cut the inner tuber into smaller strips. 

These tubers smell like sweet potato.  The baked strips above feel slightly sticky.  I ate a few unseasoned and I have no comparison to the taste as it has a taste all its own.  The texture however, reminds me of steak, or maybe roast. 

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The final product with butter, salt and pepper.  Delicious.




If you look at the above picture, it should remind you of meat.  It does me.  Actually, Man of the Earth has a texture that reminds me of eating meat; maybe a roast, thick porch chop or even the texture of steak.  The smell is like sweet potato, but not the taste.  I truly enjoyed cooking and eating this.  It was definitely not a starvation food for the Native Americans because it actually tastes really good and it is very nutritious.   The tubers are usually one of the most nutritious parts of just about any plant.  It is where the plants energy is stored.  In the plant kingdom, this would have been a great find for any Native American as it would have supplied food and calories for him for several days.

I read that the root was often cut into strips, dried and stored for later use.  The size of this plant supplied way to much food for me to eat, so I will dry it in the sun and try it later just like the Native Americans did.