In the classroom this week we watched a portion of a video featuring Lushootseed and Nooksack educators talking about stinging nettle, a plant that is native to 49 of the 50 present-day United States. In the video, we learned that stinging nettle has medicinal as well as nutritional benefits. The Kawaiisu people in eastern California walk through the plants intentionally to get stung in preparation for dreams and visions and to stay awake. Students had a chance to look at a sprig of fresh stinging nettle foraged in Mendocino County inside a plastic bag to protect their fingers.
In the kitchen we made a soup using potatoes and pre-blanched stinging nettle. Everyone had a lot of fun using an immersion blender to puree the soup. There was a range of responses to the flavor of the soup, which tastes highly vegetal and retains a vibrant green color even after being cooked.
