Help with Nettles!

[brydee]

Arrr this is really bugging me, we have TONS of nettles around us, but i get stung chopping them, i got stung in the mouth after a small sip when i made them into a smoothie, i got told this isnt suppose to happen. The nettles we have around here stung in summer and they are still stinging now.
I know they are good for you etc, but my thoughts are if everytime i go to get a nettle it stings...am i suppose to be eating it, do other animals eat them?

Any advice appreciated :)

[Veganforlife]

I don't know anything about them, but lookie:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=stinging+nettle&aq=1&oq=stinging+nettl

Here's another article:

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Nettle.html

[Ilse W.]

Dehydrate them first. Then you can grind them up in a coffee grinder and use the powder in your smoothies. Otherwise, you'll have to cook them or make them into a tea. I don't know if warming them to just 100 degrees would neutralize the toxin, or if you have to actually bring it to a boil. I used to love eating stinging nettle soup, but of course my cooked soup days are over.

[cavany]

I know how to pick them but eating them raw i'm not so sure. I think the sting is on the top of the leaf so picking is from below and you fold the leaf.

[Blossom]

I have been using nettles all summer I am in the uk also. I use rubber garden gloves, that takes care of getting stung when picking, I use them in juice mainly, with other greens, I have NEVER been stung drinking them in juice or smoothies, maybe you didnt blend long enough.

[coco]

never heard of them stinging after being blended and certainly not after juicing. if your body is saying no though maybe you should listen? there are plenty of other wild greens to forage, like dandelion.

[brydee]

Thanks for the replies,

I might have a go at dehydrating them, i was also going to do this for my geese so that they have more greens getting into them in winter.

I'll try blending them again for longer and see if i don't get stung :(
I've tried picking them all different ways, just leafs, from the base etc

[kaybee]

yup, rubber garden gloves would work, like blossom said. i actually use scuba gloves, because thats what i had around! ive used them in smoothies and not gotten stung so yeah, maybe try blending a bit more. good in smoothies with peaches or mangos, or peaches, honey and sorrel if you have that growing around too. im probably insane but i left a section of my greenhouse with them in it for the winter because they are supposed to be so good for you... monsters though. they keep stinging me.