17/05/2026
Well, , that was a mightily wonderful weekend! This year my offering was 💚 NETTLES 💚 in all their mineral-rich, vibrant spring-tasting, resilience-building, versatile glory.
My dear pal Juliet and I gathered groups of curious Wood folk in colourful festival tents on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for our “Nettles are your friends” workshop. Thank you to all who joined us. We learned all about this nutrient-dense, wild green herb and hand-crafted (hence the yellow rubber gloves, as modelled by ! Nettles can be GLAMOROUS !) ‘cordage’ (little plaited strings from the stems, deftly weaving the fine fibres into friendship bracelets). We chatted about how to safely and sustainably forage nettles, why nettles are so good for us and my favourite part…what they symbolise ✨
Often known as a nuisance w**d, this herb is generous to us YET, she stings us before she feeds us….and perhaps this is part of her wisdom? 🤔
Nettles teach us about healthy boundaries. We learned that protection and generosity CAN co-exist 💡 I needed to learn this! Thank you nettles!
It was satisfying to use the whole plant too. The inner fibres were extracted for our cordage and the tender upper leaves for my nettle pesto, or ‘Nesto’, served on crackers. Delicious, snappy bites, tasting of spring itself. Green, alive and nourishing!
💚 Here’s my Nesto recipe below (for 4 servings)
* 100 g blanched, squeezed nettles
* handful of basil leaves and parsley leaves (optional)
* 60–80 g parmesan or pecorino
* 60–80 g walnuts, pine nuts, almonds or cashews
* 1–2 garlic cloves
* 80–120 ml olive oil
* Juice of ½–1 lemon
* ½ tsp salt
* Black pepper
Method
1. Toast nuts lightly.
2. Blend nuts and garlic.
3. Add nettles, herbs, cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
4. Add olive oil gradually until smooth but thick.
Serve with crackers, pasta, grilled vegetables, or spread on toast.
Til next year 🌱🫶💚
