Every season on the farm brings its own challenges and rewards. Larry Meiller talks with Wisconsin Public Television’s Inga Witscher about spring on the farm, and finds out what some of her favorite seasonal recipes are.
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Nettles Have A Bite, But Are Worth Biting Back
Inga Witscher’s nettle soup. Inga WitscherSpring is a time of abundance, but maybe not in the ways that one might think. For example, for Inga Witscher, spring means cooking with nettles.
Witscher hosts “Around the Farm Table” on Wisconsin Public Television and owns and operates a small organic dairy farm near Osseo in western Wisconsin. For some people, nettles are noxious weeds to be avoided because of their sting. But for Witscher, they’re pure heaven.
“You have to be a little careful when you’re picking them because they want to bite back a little bit, but nettles are so good,” Witscher said.
Besides being nutritious because of their iron, calcium and vitamin A content, Witscher is convinced that they must have super powers thanks to being such an early plant.
“They’re the first green thing to come up, and their root systems are great, so they must be pulling up all those vitamins. I certainly feel great after I eat them,” Witscher said.
While the plants earn the name “stinging nettles” because of the burning sensation that they can produce when touched raw, cooking completely removes that property. Gloves are recommended for gathering them, but Witscher said that even soaking them in hot tap water will take away some of the sting.
When she picks them, Witscher said that she pinches off the top of the plant because the lower leaves, especially later in the season, can be more fibrous.
Click here for Witscher’s recipes for nettle soup. She also shared a recipe for lemon curd.
Episode Credits
- Larry Meiller Host
- Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
- Inga Witscher-Orth Guest
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