Hi everyone,

I was browsing for chestnut recipes and came across a winter nettle and chestnut risotto on the BBC website. Now, I'm a big fan of nettles and love making spring nettle soup, picking the fresh young leaves. I didn't know nettles could be harvested at this time of year, does anyone have any experience on this or advice?

Joolz

Hi Joolz, I think the usual advice is harvest tips while young and tender. Older leaves can be tough and bitter apparently. I picked some nice chestnuts too, they were a better crop this year.

Hi Joolz

Nettles are around in two forms at this time of the year:

a) Uncut plants which will have gone to seed and which will be tough and inedible.

b) Plants which have been cut down in the last couple of months and have sprung up again from the base. These will probably be tender and edible (though I have many I have never tried them). They will be blackened by the frost and will die, to emerge next spring.

I see your recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/winte ... hest_73076 comes from Greg Wallace, who was a greengrocer and probably is still accustomed to things coming from the market, rather than knowing much about them in the wild.

If you are keen on the freshness of spring nettles, have a go next year at my soup recipe:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6756

Thank you for the advice, I think I'll shelve that risotto recipe then and find something else for the chestnuts. Thanks for the soup recipe! Looking forward to trying that one out next year

You could try that chestnut recipe substituting spinach or chard for the nettles ? The chestnuts go nice with mushroms garllic in a creamy strogganof type sauce

Whilst in Belgium many moons ago I was served Tripe in a Cream and Nettle liquor which was absolutely wonderful. I must say it looked awful but tasted wonderful. It was the 'speciality of the day' and the restaurant was packed. Tripe is not everybody's cup of tea but I still eat it about twice a month when it is available. I have also had some wonderful nettle soup to the recipe that Alan posted a couple of years ago.
JB.