Deadnettle is non-poisonous in all parts, what's more, all parts of the plant, from the roots to the flowers, are edible. You can collect dead nettles almost all year round and bring them to the table to eat.
Are dead nettles edible and usable?
Deadnettles are edible and non-toxic. All parts of the plant, from roots to flowers, can be eaten. The leaves are suitable for salads, herb oils, sauces, herb butter and tea, while the sweet flowers can be used as an edible decoration or in desserts.
Eating the dead nettle leaves
The leaves of dead nettle have a mildly spicy taste that is somewhat reminiscent of champagne. They can be used in many ways:
- Salad addition
- Herbal oils
- Sauces
- Herb butter
- Tea
Blanched or lightly steamed leaves go particularly well with fish dishes. Dead nettle leaves harmonize very well with the spice saffron.
How to use the sweet flowers
Maybe you remember it from your childhood. Back then, the mostly white flowers were pulled out of the nettles and sucked out at the bottom. This gave a very pleasantly sweet honey taste on the tongue.
The honey-sweet taste of the deadnettle flowers makes them a very pretty, edible decoration for wild cabbage salad or fish dishes.
Because of their sweetness, they are also very suitable for embellishing all kinds of desserts.
Collect dead nettles and use them as fresh as possible
The best collecting times are March to May and September and October. Only pick dead nettles that do not grow directly on the side of the road or in occupied pastures. You should also not pick nettles to eat along busy paths through meadows and forests.
Always only pluck four to six leaves from the top plant whorl. They are the most aromatic and tender.
Deadnettle loses its aroma if stored or dried for a longer period of time. Collect plants you plan to eat just before using.
Preparing deadnettle for eating
First pick and wash the leaves and flowers very briefly. It's best to dry them in a salad spinner.
The leaves are chopped into small pieces for salads and sauces. The flowers are placed whole on the food.
Tea can be brewed from both fresh and dried herbs.
Tips & Tricks
The dead nettle is used in naturopathy for inflammatory diseases. It contains a number of minerals as well as essential oils, flavonoids, mucilage and tannins. Just like the nettle, the dead nettle has a diuretic effect.
