The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowThe Field Guideby Moss & Marrow
Also called brandnetels, stinging nettle.
In the Netherlands, nettles are in season March to May, at their best in April. November is outside the Dutch season for nettles.
Young nettle tops are picked from March to May, before the plants flower; after that the leaves turn gritty. They grow on every verge, so pick away from roads and dog walks. In the Netherlands you may pick small amounts for your own use in most forests and along most paths, about a punnet's worth, and never dig up roots or bulbs. Nature reserves, dune areas and many Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer sites forbid it, and the sign at the entrance is the rule that counts. Commercial picking is forbidden everywhere.
Only the top four to six leaves of young plants, with gloves. Flowering plants, with their dangling tassels, are past it.
Iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K and beta-carotene; a notably mineral-rich leaf.
To get the most: Blanching takes the sting and little else; use the blanching water in the soup for the minerals.
Content per NEVO, the Dutch food composition database. This describes what the food contains, not what it does for you.
Blanch for thirty seconds and the sting is gone. Then treat like spinach: soup, risotto, pesto.
Nettles are picked, not bought. The Field Guide lists producers, so it has no entries for a wild food; the page is here so the season and the rules are in one place. Elsewhere on the site, the map shows the farms and shops near you.
Dates read on 2026-10-12. If a window on this page is wrong, tell us with a source.
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