Nutritive Nettle and Potato Soup

       

1st picture: Stinging Nettle   2nd picture: Stinging Nettles  3rd picture: another view of Stinging Nettles 4th picture: Nutritive Nettle and Potato Soup simmering 

5th picture: Nutritive Nettle and Potato Soup (look at that beautiful green color!)

This soup is so rich in minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. It is also slightly cleansing to the liver, lymph, and colon. This is a fantastic soup to eat anytime but especially in the springtime when our bodies are craving more greens and minerals after the winter months. In this recipe, I decided to leave the skins of the potatoes on because the skins of the potatoes have so many minerals, and cooking them in water leaches their rich nutrient profile directly into the broth during the process. You will be using the blender to puree this soup so you won't even notice the skins. I used Yukon Gold potatoes which tend to have a thinner skin and add a creamier texture to the soup...delicious!

If you do not have access to Stinging Nettles, use spinach or another green leafy vegetable in its place. You can also use chickweed instead, which I have done and the results are wonderful as well.

The taste of this soup is mild and delicious and it the thick texture is so soothing and healing to your tissues and mucous membranes. This is one of my favorite soups to eat this time of year! I hope you enjoy it :)

*If you decide to use the blanched nettles in this recipe, here is the easiest way to do this:

To blanch the nettle tops, submerge into boiling water (with 1 tsp salt added) for 1 minute, when wilted and still bright green, remove with tongs, and place in ice water bath for another minute. Squeeze out liquid and place in glass mason jars or Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 6 months. Thankfully, the blanching process removes the sting from the leaves and stem, so don't worry about squeezing the cooled blanched nettles in your hands.

Recipe

16 cups of fresh spring young Nettle tops or 2 cups packed blanched Nettles (blanched-see above for instructions)

*8 cups of fresh nettle will yield about 1 cup of blanched lightly squeezed nettles

3 cups washed and cut Yukon Gold potatoes (leave skins intact)

3 TBSP ghee, butter, or avocado oil

1 onion (chopped well)

5 cloves of garlic (minced or chopped)

6 cups of bone broth, vegetable broth, herbal broth, or water

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

Saute garlic and onions in ghee until lightly golden but not browned. Add liquid and potatoes, along with pepper and turmeric. Simmer until potatoes are tender, then add in nettles or greens of your choice and simmer until they are wilted and bright green (if using fresh) or until the blanched greens are totally incorporated into mixture. Then add lemon juice. Add contents of soup (cup by cup) to blender or may use immersion blender. Blend until soup is smooth and pureed. Add salt to taste and enjoy!

Store in fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Bon Appetit!

Update:The Beauty of Nettles, Cleavers, and Burdock Root in the Healing Process
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