- 1). Learn how to identify a nettle. This is useful not only for eating the nettle, but for avoiding the touch of a nettle when hiking or camping. There are dozens of types of nettles, but they typically possess wide green leaves with characteristically serrated edges. The plant can grow to be 2 or 3 feet high and produces tiny, almost invisible flowers. The entire nettle plant, including its leaves and its stalk, is covered in fine hairs or bristles that secrete the stinging toxin.
- 2). Locate a nettle plant. They tend to grow where there's water--near rivers, lakes, streams and other moist areas. They are found throughout Central America, northern Europe and North America (including the Caribbean).
- 3). Grab a nettle plant at its base--using gloves or a cloth to protect your hands--and pull it up out of the ground completely.
- 4). Prepare a pot of boiling water.
- 5). Harvest (break off) the young nettle shoots (again, wearing gloves or some other protective covering). Throw them into the boiling water and let them cook for several minutes, just as you'd cook any other green vegetable, then eat. Don't worry--the boiling process destroys the stinging toxin.
- 6). Harvest the young leaves of the nettle--again, using gloves. These leaves, too, should be tossed into the pot of water and boiled for several minutes. The toxin will be destroyed and the leaves will be completely edible once boiled.
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