Kenyan Stinging Nettles

In case you thought that stinging nettles were restricted to the US, I have to tell you that they are not.  When we moved to Kenya, people pointed them out to us right away.  I can see the resemblance to American nettles, but they are a little different looking.  Also, they are much more potent.  I have touched stinging nettles in Michigan and it hurt, so I wondered what it would feel like to touch the ones here.  I actually considered touching one just to find out, but before I made up my mind to do so, I accidentally brushed a leaf with the back of my hand, while weeding in the garden.  I can tell you, it hurts!  But that's not that big of a deal - it is about the same as the ones in the US - what is worse is that the pain (albeit somewhat lessened) lingers for hours rather than going away relatively quickly.  All that to say, don't go touching these nettles!

They can get really big too - this one is towering above our fence!

However, they are very nutritious food, just like the nettles of America.  You know I like trying new and interesting things and, to be honest, although I knew that nettles were edible, I never picked and ate them in the US.  So now was the time to try.  The internet and all people I've talked to insist that as soon as the stinging nettles are even lightly cooked, they will no longer sting.  This sounds much more encouraging than trying something like taro leaves, which require more skill, and suffice it to say, turned out badly when I cooked them in Mbale years ago...

Anyway, I safely harvested the nettle leaves, using my handy garden gloves.

We boiled potatoes, then added the nettles for the last 5 minutes of boiling, mashed it all up with some butter, milk, salt, and cheese, and voila! dinner.

Okay, I guess it doesn't look particularly appetizing in the picture, but I assure you, it tastes good.  No one got stung on the tongue by nettles, so they were definitely fully cooked.  They became like the texture of cooked spinach.