As April with its wild, fickle temperature swings gives way to stable May, this week’s edition of Wild Edible series covers harvesting stinging nettle and sochan, a lesser-known but potent aromatic that has a long history in indigenous foodways.
For an immersive, hand-on learning experience, register for herbalist, forager, and educator Dina Falconi’s next Foraging Walk and Medicinal Workshop on June 14 at the Hudson Valley Seed Company property in Accord.
Harvesting Nettle
“It’s kind of an animal-like vegetable,” says Falconi of stinging nettles’ eponymous histamine defense mechanism, “It has an insect-like quality.” Capable of giving you a rash that can last hours and even days, stinging nettles are fiery, potent wild edible that grows freely in the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Nutrient dense and delicious as a leafy green, this perennial plant also has powerful healing qualities.
The most pervasive nettle species found in the region (Urtica dioica) is originally from Europe, though there is also a very similar native American subspecies (Urtica gracilis) that is less stingy and has a similar medicinal and culinary profile.
When is stinging nettle season in the Hudson Valley?
The first tender shoots of nettle, which are the best for eating, begin to emerge in late March or early April in the mid-Hudson Valley. “It’s a moment that is so special—nature seems to say, ‘Yeah let’s do this!’ and there’s a crazy infusion of spring energy,” Falconi says, though she clarifies, “Nettle from root to seed is useful from early spring all the way to fall.”
We’re currently in the peak moment of gathering nettle in its “vegetable stage” before it becomes too tall and tough around mid-May. “I often say below the knee for food and above the knee for tea,” Falconi says. “And once it flowers and goes to seed, it has very specific medicinal uses.” (A word to the wise: the seeds are a very potent tonic, taken in tiny amounts.)
Where does stinging nettle grow?
Stinging nettle prefers a rich, moist environment, like the edge of a woodland or a compost pile usually part shade, though it can grow in full sun. “Approaching a patch, you can usually start to feel the richness underfoot,” Falconi says. “You can feel that it’s a slightly shady, moister, cooler area, which is an interesting contradiction because the plant does not offer those qualities. It’s a fiery mess.” (More on that later.)
Far from invasive (sometimes), nettle can be a bit particular about its environment. “If it’s introduced in an area that’s dry or the soil is sandy, it won’t thrive,” Falconi says. “But if it’s happy, it’ll take over a whole river bank.” Great news for foragers.
How to identify stinging nettle
To the untrained eye, nettle could be many things. “It just looks like a leafy green until you get in there and start talking about distinctive traits,” Falconi says. One particularly good mimic is Verbena urticifolia, literally named nettle-leafed vervain (also called white vervain). Luckily, it’s not toxic and doesn’t sting, so pretty mild as far as lookalikes go.
“From far away, nettle could look like a million things, but when you follow all the clues, you’ll get it,” Falconi says reassuringly. Here are stinging nettle’s identifying characteristics:
- Leaves: Nettle has an opposite leaf arrangement with serrated, heart-shaped leaf. Leaves have petioles, they are not attached to the main stem
- Stipule (weird growth that come out of leaf axles): Oblong to linear
- Stem: Often called square, Falconi prefers to describe the main nettle stem as being made up of four rounded ropes. (People make fiber from the ropy stems of nettle.)
- Hairs: The stem and leaves are covered in nettle hairs (trichomes).
How to harvest stinging nettle
“How do you approach it?” Falconi asks. “Carefully. With other plants, I say ‘touch it, experience it,’ but with nettle, just don’t touch it. You’re going to get burned.” Given the stingyness of it all, most people harvest nettle with gloves on, or at least one gloved hand to handle the plant and a bare hand to cut with scissors.
“Nettle is not in any way endangered, so if you have a really prolific patch you should harvest it freely,” Falconi says. When it first emerges, Falconi recommends only plucking the top node and leaving the two lower leaves. By peak season (mid to late-April), you cut two to three nodes down from the top of the plant for the most tender part (some people cut lower and strip the leaves, discarding the tough stalk). By early to mid-May, as the plant grows tougher, you’ll only want to take the top node. “Foragers are always thinking about tenderness,” Falconi says. “What’s tough? Can I chew this? How well will I be able to digest this?”
Harvesting nettle in this way, you are essentially pruning the plant and encouraging more growth, meaning you can usually harvest nettle tops a few times in a season (if there has been enough rain). This method will support the overall health of the nettle patch, though Falconi clarifies “nettle is so hardy, it’s hard to hurt a patch.” However, if you’re trying to control an overly exuberant patch, you can cut the stalks at the base.
Best culinary uses for nettles
“Nettle has this deep, meaty, umami flavor,” Falconi says. “But it’s mild, not high-pitched. It doesn’t have any aromatics—it’s not essential oil-rich. It’s almost like an earthy salt—intense, nutty.”
On her property, Falconi has a particularly mild patch of native American nettle. “I love to eat it when it first comes up as teeny little shoots,” she says. “That’s when I’ll eat it raw in pesto, when the crazy heat isn’t up yet, but you still get this potent hit from raw shoot.” Before you go assuming Falconi is incredibly bold or reckless, mechanically pureeing or crushing the nettles breaks down the stingers, same as heat does when cooking.
Barring a raw pesto, you can use nettles like you would another leafy green—spanacopita, gnocchi, sauteed veggies, quiche, au gratin, soups, etc. etc. Or try Falconi’s frittata recipe. “It’s tougher than spinach but softer than kale in terms of texture, so the cooking time will be in between those two,” Falconi says.
Nettle is an incredibly nutrient-dense food with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as several B vitamins, plus a big dose of key minerals and all of the essential amino acids. “It’s a really potent food, it has a lot of secondary metabolites,” Falconi warns. “When we create hybridized vegetables we reduce secondary metabolites. Those are the big personalities—strong flavors, bitterness, nutrient density. When you eat wild food you get all of that.”
Nettle’s stinging effect and medicinal uses
The leaves and stems of nettle are covered in tiny needle-like hairs that snap off upon contact and inject histamine, formic acid, and serotonin causing an itching, redness, welts, and swelling for anywhere from a few hours to several days. “Even when rashiness is dissipated, the stimulation could linger,” Falconi says.
A natural rubefacient, nettles cause skin irritation and vasodilation, increasing blood flow to the applied area. Given this, in a medicinal context, nettle can be used to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and break up stagnation. “Nettle is incredibly stimulating and energizing,” Falconi says. “It’s very warming and blood building. There’s a lot of chemistry in nettle.”
Though it is counterintuitive, some people use small, controlled exposure to provoke an antihistamine response. And drinking nettle tea or taking small doses of nettle seed can help with allergies and other autoimmune disorders, though it’s best to consult with an herbalist.
Gathering Sochan
Sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata), also called kochan, kochun, green headed coneflower, or cut leaf coneflower, is a perennial native plant that grows throughout Appalachia. Highly nutritious and aromatic, it is a traditional diet staple of the Cherokee people with medicinal virtues related to echinacea. “It’s an ornamental that people plant without realizing they’ve put in food” Falconi says, delighted.
When is sochan season?
Sochan emerges soon after the ground thaws and the last snows melt, making it one of the earliest wild edibles you can harvest in spring in the Hudson Valley.
Where does sochan grow?
LIke nettles, sochan likes rich, moist soil and part shade to sun. You can expect to find it growing on the banks of streams and creeks, in moist forests, and in floodplains. And also like nettle, it spreads by running roots. “They’ll take over the world if they can,” Falconi jokes.
How to identify sochan?
Sochan lookalikes include wild sunflower, gray-headed cone flower, and buttercup, which is toxic, as well as Virginia waterleaf, which is edible, though a bit furry for most tastes. The easiest way to identify sochan is by its heavily bisected basal rosette leaves and its distinctive carrot/celery/citrusy-like smell, which buttercups do not share. Another clue: Sochan lacks the hairs on its stem that other rudbeckia species, like blackeyed Susan, have.
With a floppy growth habit, after blooming, sochan falls over, the top dies, and then new basal growth emerges. “Go slow,” Falconi advises about identification. “The best way to be sure is always to watch a patch bloom, mark it, and study it.”
How to harvest sochan?
“I’d love to encourage folks to plant it and eat it,” Falconi says of sochan, which is toxic to animals but not to humans. “It’s a deer-resistant, pollinator-friendly vegetable that’s a native—that’s a thing to celebrate. Plus it spreads easily.” Basically a forager’s dream that you can eat without scruples.
“People can plant it where other things don’t grow,” Falconi says. “It takes off in these ignored corners and that can become your patch of edible greens, which is amazing.”
Best culinary use for sochan
Part of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, sochan is highly aromatic. “Its flavor profile pops with some of these weird aromatics,” Falconi says, struggling to describe the scent. “It’s not like mint, but maybe almost like carrot meets something citrusy meets celery, and underneath: a slight bitterness with sweetness and saltiness.”
When it’s young and tender, Falconi harvests sochan to mince up in a salad for fresh eating. “Once the bottom of the plant starts to toughen, the inner basal rosette leaves are super tender at the center of where the crown is. Even some middle-sized leaves are delicious for salad.” For a simple preparation she tosses these greens (that have been well chopped) with tamari, olive oil, and lemon or cold pressed apple cider vinegar. “Let them sit in the dressing and marinate for a bit,” Falconi says. “It’s a stronger green, it has more fiber than other wild salad greens like chickweed or violet.”
You can also treat sochan like any leafy green, chop it up and sauté it with garlic and butter or olive oil. And if the flavor is too strong or the plant is a bit tougher later in the season, Falconi recommends blanching the sochan for two to three minutes before sautéing it.
Dina Falconi is an educator, forager, and author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook. Subscribe to her newsletterfor the latest blog posts and event news or follow Foraging and Feasting on Instagram.
