Late Spring Foraging

I love Spring time in England, flowers are blossoming everywhere in the nature, the smells of freshness in the near by country side... just stunning, makes you forget all your stress and the time of the year that brings hope.

From now until late September, we can find abundance of medicinal, elidable plants that growing near us, I would love to share my recipes with you,

Stinging Nettle soup

Stinging Nettle 蕁麻 Xún Má is a Chinese (also Western) herb you can easily find in South England nature almost all year round, best time to see them flowering is from June to October.

You need a pair rubber glove that covers your forearm to pick them up, the leaves do sting you, if you do get stunk, you can find some dock leaves that grow next to it,

In Chinese Medicine, stinging nettle is a herb that clears the meridians dispel wind and damp. it has a bitter pungent taste, and is cooling in nature.

The herb usually use with other herbs to treat "Bi syndrome" in Chinese medical term, that means pain obstruction

- Rheumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, tuberculous arthritis, pyogenic arthritis, muscular rheumatism, sciatica, gout, etc..

Due to the herb's Cold nature, stinging nettle leaves helps people who have too much 'Heat' - inflammations in their body. One of the major concept of Chinese medicine is to balance Yin and Yang. Those who have too much Heat in their body are said to either have a Yang Excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition stinging nettle leaves can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.

Recipe of Stinging Nettle Soup

Ingredients:

• 200g Stinging Nettle leaves

• 150g Spinach

• 50g Wild Garlic

• 1 large onion

• 4 stalks of celery

• 1 large parsnip

• 1 garlic cut in half

Instructions

1. Soak the Stinging Nettle in the water for overnight.

2. wash spinach, wild garlic and stinging nettle and leave it in a colander

3. Dice the onions, celery, and parsnip

4. Heat 2 table spoon of light olive oil in medium heat (electric hob between 4 - 6, depends on your cooker) put in a piece of garlic to 7the taste

5. After the garlic turn lightly brown, you can take out the garlic or leave it in the pan it's up to you. Add the chopped Parsnip, onion and celery, turn up the heat to medium high heat (electric hob between 6-8) fry them until they turn transparent and soft.

6. Add the spinach, stinging nettle, wild garlic and fry them until half soft half fresh leaves.

7. Add filtered water, the quantity just about 2cm above all the ingredients., bring it to boil

8. Use hand blender, blend it until smooth