Leafy Weed You Can Eat-Stinging Nettles
Stinging Nettles
(Urtica dioica)
The nettle is another common homestead plant, preferring disturbed soil. It is frequently found around fence lines, garden corners, and beside old barns and outbuildings. The nettle does sting when you brush up against it with bare skin, leaving a burning sensation. The key here is to pick the plants when they are small and tender. While they can still sting, they don't usually bother quite as bad. To be safe, use gloves and scissors to clip off the plants under 8 inches in height.
Obviously, stinging nettles should not be used as a salad green. But nettles make an excellent steamed or boiled green. The boiling or steaming kills the stinging element, leaving tender, tasty greens behind.
The nettle plant has opposing leaves that are a pointed oval with toothed edges. The plant can mature to several feet tall and quite robust. (it's a perennial, so look for the dead stems from last years plants)
These are only several of the most common wild leafy green vegetables, known to most people as garden weeds. Of course there are many more available.
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