Not being the no weed police, but it reminds me of what my Grandma used to say. "There's no such thing as weeds, just Wildflowers without a home!" She was an avid gardener 🌹

My granny always claimed she wouldn't have lived to be 97 years old if she hadn't eaten nettle spinach and dandelion salad almost every day. 😊 I love both!

In Italy we use nettle for gnocchi, ravioli and vegetables pies 😋

Hi! You forgot an essential thing. In Romania we eat it an buy it only when it has 3 or 5 cm high. Then when it s higher is very useful in the garden: it can fight againt any fungus an insects when we make a juice from it. We keep it a day or two in the water and then use it to sprinkle the garden.

Dandelion, Cleavers, Stinging Nettle for the win!

Nettles can also be used to create a fibre that is very similar to silk, it was called silk of the North or Nordic silk. It was considered such a luxurious fabric that in Norway ordinary people were banned from wearing it until 1720.

When I injured my back I had to leave the gardening so it went wild and nettles sprouted up and grew 10 foot tall and huge leaves and cleavers grew so I added that to my greens smoothie. Dandelions, dock leaves, blackberries and alpine strawberries grew too so I had free food. I had to build a bamboo stick support structure for the tall nettles as the wind and rain tend to flatten them. I don't eat the baby leaves along the stalks, I let them grow for next harvest. I've noticed people harvest the whole stalk but then if you do that just like celery, cabbage, spinach and lettuce then it's gone so why not take what you need and let the vegetables carry on growing for more food. I only harvested outer stalks of celery and the middle just carried on expanding and each celery plant divided itself into five new plants and they survived for 7 years till the drought. They do require a lot of water. The stalks were three times wider than supermarket celery and were two foot tall. Also to grow larger celery the soil needs to be deep...they have long roots.

What a coincidence, I’ve just eaten steamed nettle tops as a veg with my cottage pie, simply delicious, been eating them for years! Also great food in the vegetable garden and I’ve also used them for years as a final rinse to my hair…..no dandruff and a good shine……just nettles steeped in hot water, like a tea. Thanks for the great video telling everyone how fantastic nettles are, nobody believes me.

Dandelions should never be underestimated for the uses they can provide! thanks Hugh!.

Im a permaculturist, its all fine and dandy ! 😂😂😂 I need this on a T-Shirt

Boiled down... they're a vegetarian rennet that can be used in cheese making! Just in case you're fresh out of ruminate parts. 🐑

As soon as I saw the title I knew this would be about nettles 😊 Such a valuable resource! My first experience with appreciating nettles was as a child, probably about 10. I was away at a week long conservation summer camp and one of the activities was a long hike followed by setting up a primitive survival camp for the night. We couldn’t bring food and instead were only allowed to harvest nettles and drink nettle tea that night. We were taught to tap the plant with a stick to loosen excess pollen and then pinch the individual leaves from the top, folding them downward on themselves because the underside has the most needles. Now I harvest them for drying for drinking teas and for making fertilizer in the garden.

I have a treasure. I found a patch of nettle together with comfrey. The two plants grow right next to each other. Safe to say I harvest from this spot almost weekly.

I still have nettles in my freezers and I'm desperately trying to eat it all to create space for this years harvest. (We still have snow). I use the nettles in soups, stews, pies, omelett and pasta dishes. It's a great vegetable AND it's great as a fertilizer for healthy plants! ❤

What a great educator and communicator. Delighted to have this video arrive in my algorithm tray.

I live in the desert and I have planted yarrow, peppernint, oregano, thme, sage, lavender, dock and more. Then I have dandelions and plaintain that grows wild.

I live in a desert alpine valley in Colorado. To get nettles at all, I have to treat it like a perennial vegetable in a raised bed. I haven't managed to get mine to weed status yet... life goals!😂

Love it when Huw says “we’re all part of nature, it’s all fine and dandy…”SO true 👍🏻😃

I was thinking black locust. Very useful tree. Wood doesn't rot. Edible seed pods. Attracts squirrels. Some people say that the spikes can be used as nails in softer woods. They are definitely straight and long enough, and probably hard enough. Black locust is very hard wood. I like plants.

Huw, blimey you've come a long way. well done

“We are a part of nature” … l love it! I share my cabbages, they share their nettles. Great job, Huw! Keep us balanced in our thinking.

My Nan would make nettle wine every year, when I was allowed a sip it tasted nice 😄

I love nettles. you are amazing man. Been watching you grow for years.

I've got a small bunch growing on the side of my garden, just peeping through the fence. I put up a sign for the council not to mow them "I standing here for Butterflies". So far so good. As an artist I also use them to make/add to handmade paper. And of course (like mentioned) liquid feed, or simply composting/mulching. Super versatile. Thanks Huw!

I have received my book yesterday. Thank you Huw and Sam for a fantastic book. 🎉🎉

Also you can make string from the long fibres in the stems. Sally Pointer has some great videos on making and using nettle fibre.

I love nettles, there a great food source for us and creatures. They are also great for making cordage and textiles!

I made a tea from stinging nettle, and it was delicious! There's also a soup recipe made with it and potatoes, carrots and almost anything else you want to add - yummy!

Nettles are my best friend for allergy season. A gardeners fix, for a sniffly gardener! I couldn’t believe it would work but sipping nettle tea throughout the day keeps me off all those allergy pills!

I love your attitude about nature, permaculture, and no dig. Thanks Huw for another interesting and useful video 👍🌟✔

I like the flavour and texture of nettles more than spinach. I just finished my dried nettle seed from last year, had some on my soaked oats every morning! Must save more this year! ☺️

In Greece the old folk used it in soups, stews and as the greens instead of spinach in spinach pie. In Crete they use it as a staple green and people in the know pick it and cook it. Its very versatile.

I eat, infuse and powder nettles.. Nature's perfect 💚

Thank Huw!! it is always a delight to listen to your very useful videos!! keep on doing them!

I harvested, steamed, cooled and froze a large batch last year in very little time and it was light work too. Very like spinach. I only pick the top four leaves so I'm less likely to disturb insect eggs etc. Good to remind us of nettles Huw😊

Been using nettles for years; it thrives in a park near us. Steaming, pureeing and freezing it in ice trays helps us use it in smoothies and soups throughout the year. Instead of the messy and outrageously smelly tea for the garden I’m trying putting it around garden plants as mulch, using only the young, seedless shoots in early spring. Love your video and thx for spreading the news of this amazing plant. I’ve not had spring or fall allergies since using nettle!

I just put another set of nettle leaves in the dehydrator about 1/2 hour before seeing this video... It will go EVERYWHERE, and I would consider it a weed. Last year I had one plant, and this year I have a patch about 3x4 feet large.

Another edible "weed" is the similar but non-stinging white deadnettle & purple deadnettle plant. They are amongst the first to flower along with spring bulbs like daffodils, crocuses, tulips & muscari, but bumblebees seem to overwhelmingly prefer the nectar of the white deadnettle & dandelions.

4:17 That flying nettle got me 😂 I love the nettles as well!

Nettles are also known to help reduce an enlarged prostrate! Tried and tested AND worked! Just used as a Nettle Tea. You only tend to use the tops and they are prolific growing. Dandelion flowers, washed and made into a tea. Do this every year.

Wonderful! Looking forward to adding it to my garden. ❤

A brilliant video Huw. Thanks a lot!

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a ‘local delicacies’ dinner in Finland that included cream of nettle soup. I’ve been hoping and wishing for it to be served to me again ever since! So so so delicious.

Great to promote the humble nettle, thank you and love all the ideas

@HuwRichards, great info as always and am loving my signed copy of your terrific book which arrived in New Zealand in perfect condition after 12,000 miles in a very clever cardboard container with no need for any sellotape, brilliant! 😃

Great present Huw. Been very busy and need to catch up on your posts. Nettles. Bloody marvellous!!

Just ordered some seeds! Thanks! Your book looks good!

I only made your nettle juice ferment yesterday, as well as first nettle & seaweed with comfrey into a bucket and way at the other end of the garden for early fertilizer two weeks ago. Last year I sown a lot of medicinal herbs into the garden. Thanks for your insight, loving the book by the way!!

Thank You , I love nettles in all their ways 😻

Thanks for the very inspiring presentation.

Brilliant , informative, inspiring

Brilliant tips as always! That PSB sourdough looks scrumptious 💜

Just picked nettles today! For fermentering into plant juice and for food. Such a lovely gift of nature. My experience is that they grow back just fine when harvested sensibly.

Absolutely. I totally agree. That was my experience of this tale

fab video, thank you so much, Huw - and appreciatel the comments - so valuable

we use Nettles for Spring smoothies. We usually have lots of frozen berries - honeyberry, raspberry, black currant, Mountain Ash berries. When Nettles start to grow - we make smoothies! We add some honey or dates or maple syrup to give it a bit of sweetness. We add some dandelion, chickweed, plantain, mint, lemon balm leaves also!

I love your mindset. We are all part of nature. Have had nettle seeds for years and have never known where to plant them. I think this year it's time.

The long stems that are left can be made into really good cordage, nettles have more vit c than anything else we can grow, interestingly enough and the green dye you get from them is quite lovely

I understand that dried nettle leaves, brewed as a tea, really helps againsr Hayfewer!😊

I didn't have any stinging nettle in my garden so I sowed it. People thought I was nuts! But it's useful for so many things.

Offgrid on a shoestring here, im surrounded by them its nearly time for a harvest to make some nettle stew fertiliser. The rest go on the compost pile. The spuds foliage is vibrant from the compost made with nettles and old guinee pig hutch bedding. Found someone who farms guinee pigs so no shortage of supply.

I use nettles in soup (my fav), stewed as sidedish, in pies, pastadough or like lasagna or sauce, gnocchi and the seeds on top of youghurt or in smoothies. Living up north in Sweden we have a short growing season and have to wait for the harvest of veggies so they are a nice contribution to my food in May/June. After a couple of harvest I cut them down, put the stems in a waterbarrel and make fertiliser from them, Then I got a second and fourth harvest from the plants I have cut down. So versatile, love them!

Champion weeds, and your a champ too mate, great content to help people grow healthy food in the simplest most effective and efficient ways, life can be so simple yet so enriching if we go back to basics, thankyou for being dedicated to show and demonstrate that!

Well timed! was just about to weed a bunch of nettles out of my yard this afternoon but now I will leave them and see how it goes!

Great video, thanks I make nettle pancakes when there is fresh nettle about. NB they do thicken the mix considerably consequently it's best to start with a more fluid mix.

Nettle seeds are so underrated! Fun to forage, easy to dry for winter storage, sprinkle on your salad, soups, anything really

I enjoy the added flavor in soups and stews. I also started making my own fertilizer that I used for the first time this week. I look forward to the results. Started using nettle a year ago. Love it! And to think it was only a obnoxious weed growing up - lol

I had this for dinner last night for the first time. Highly recommend!

Lovely video Hugh. I have plenty nettle patches in my allotment which i cherish. They attract so many benefical insects, enhance the compost heap and make great health giving tinctures. I agree we are not seperate from nature and when you garden with principles of biodivesity you create with nature abundance. Embrace the nettle ❤

Could you please make a really close-up video on exactly how to pick the nettles with bear hands please? I love them too! And I had actually made a dish years ago when my kids were young and they like it too. Saute tender nettle leaves with red onions in butter and then put these with some feta cheese on top of pastry dough. Wrap them into a sort of a box or a croissant and bake. You can eat these pure or with some glazed orange or tomatoes or both. So add finely chopped oranges with peel and tomatoes anrich brown sugar or coconut sugar and a pinch of freshly milled pepper if you like. Perhaps you could swap oranges with lemons.

Everything your saying is so true and young dandelion is delicious aswell keep up the good work Huge love watching your videos

I also dry nettles, add to soups or make nettle tea for yourself; end out with a tasty snack , especially when they are seedy. I have to semi cultivate nettles here in Portugal. They are annual! Maybe due to the heat.

Nettles are lovely as a tisane/tea and it tastes just like the color green.

I like to use nettles in the garden. My favorite herb 🌿 is dandelion 🌼🌱🌼 I was considering to get some nettles for the new compost heap because there is a lot of dry material in there already and I need some greens to activate it.

They're my favourite green foraged food. I used to have a go-to patch next to a creek, but the little trail is now paved, and the area is sprayed for weeds. I would harvest cleavers / stickyweed from there as well.

I have been putting nettles in my soup mashed potatoes ,I also know they are good for butterfly's t. lay there egg's on red admirals swallowtail etc wonderful plant❤

I had a big, creamy (blended cashew cream) nettle soup yesterday. I just added some onion and salt. So delicious!

Good one Huw. To avoid them spreading, I grow nettles in a tub. No maintenance.

Here in Australia many seed companies sell dandelion & nettle seeds 👍 Thank you for the video Huw 🙂

I FINALLY got some in my yard last year. Gonna go pick some right now and make a tea. 😊

Excellent video Huw. I really need to plant some nettle. Hopefully it won’t mind our hot dry climate (New Mexico High Desert). Can’t wait to receive your book…

❤ Brennessel ist ein Muß im Garten. Greatings from Vienna.

My Mum used to make Nettle wine back in the day, I can't say it tasted good but I was pretty young. Thanks for the Video.

The greatest plant on the planet. I ferment the young plants, using them to feed the rest of the plants, nettles having _everything_ any and all other plants require and that's without even touching on their benefits outside of gardening! Weed, indeed?!

Hi,thank you for sharing❤

Having a french mama we ate young dandelion leaves,. Stinging nettles are also great for herbal remedies

It is rare to find nettles here where we live but dandelion,plantain and many more are abundant. I would love to have nettles not only for their food value but the wonderful fibre one can extract.

this is wonderful video! That little nettle currently growing in our raspberry edge, will stay 🥰

i am waiting for a dry spell to harvest nettles. it makes a great hay for my rabbits. I feed my rabbits well and they feed me and my garden. rabbit manure is balanced like a NPK fertilizer.

Thanks, that was inspiring and reminded me to grab my stingers while they are lovely and tender!

Wonderful, thank you. 🙏

LOL, you can come and have some of ours then. They are taking over our farm and the animals don't want to eat them so we have to cut them down constantly. A few patches are fine but they will take over everything before you know it. AND they come back in the same places year after year. There's only so much nettle soup and nettle tea that one can consume, believe me. 😆😭😭😭

Excellent video, thank you

Another awesome video! Thank you!

I have a big patch of nettles at the bottom of my allotment. I’ve been using them to make nettle fertiliser and as a strulch…I’ll have to give eating them a go 😊

Thank you so much!

I actually plant dandelion in my raised bed as well as in a windowsill over the winter simply because it is good to have in my diet and because it has so many uses. And yes, you can buy dandelion seeds! I also have a patch of nettles in the yard.

Yes I have had nettle omelette and found the flavour quite mild not over powering. I just sweated them down a little in butter.

I have fond memories of my grandmother picking nettles with her bare hands (we kids were totally amazed 😧) and cooking a delicious soup 👩‍🍳with them. I still couldn't convince my wife and my daughter that it is both safe and tasty 😐

Hi! In Greece and Albania (probably also in other balkan countries, though the first two i know for a fact and have tasted both variants), there is a baked nettle crust pie (pita with fillo) recipe that is simply delicious!