A spring dish that will give you zing without sting: nettle scrambled eggs ☺

Stinging nettles are very good for you, but they are a great herb to use in your diet if you are feeling sluggish, need some extra iron and vitamin C.
According to dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy,

”Nettle leaf is among the most valuable herbal remedies.  Because of its many nutrients, stinging nettle is traditionally used as a spring tonic.  It is a slow-acting nutritive herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes.”

When you go picking nettles, make sure to carry gloves, a pair of scissors and a bag to put them in. Stinging nettles, however much you love them, will and do sting! I use my left hand, with glove, to hold the fresh top leaves and cut them with my scissors.
Try to pick nettles in places where dogs have no access to them (dog faeces can contain parasites) and there are no cars.
Pick the top leaves from the fresh new plants. In Europe, they will be abundant in April, and again when the watersides have been mowed in summer.

I place my fresh batch in water to wash it, using plastic tongs to hold them and snip off the hard stems with my scissors before using the leaves.

If you are sensitive to energies, you might want to feel the power of the stinging nettle by holding your hand a few centimetres above the nettles, relaxed, palm towards them. Feel that warmth? That’s the wonderful energy of the stinging nettle! Isn’t that fantastic? It even works after you have blanched them, it is so strong.

Now there is another reason to be kind to the stinging nettle: it is host to several species of butterflies.

After trimming them, I pour boiling water over my nettles to clean them thoroughly and remove the sting. (You can forego this part when you use them in smoothies: the blender takes care of the sting then. I promise.)

So, here is my simple recipe for stinging nettle scrambled eggs with zing, not sting (2 servings):
Heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Toss in one big chopped red onion, one (or two) chopped cloves of garlic, finely cut red paprika (peppers), half a chilli pepper finely chopped, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and one or two big handfuls of nettles. Sprinkle with seasalt and chives. Bake until soft. Then add the scrambled eggs (3 of 4) and scramble. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and sea-salt.
Et voila! Your spring zing lunch is ready! Enjoy!☺