Stinging Nettle & Yellow Dock Soup

One of our favorite family soups: Stinging Nettle and Yellow Dock

This deliciously simple and delicate soup is a wonderful way to grab so many important nutrients.

Yellow Dock, a powerful, perennial herb, is known for clearing out bacterial and fungal infections in the body. It has great anti-inflammatory agents,

that can help combat arthritis, dermatitis, rashes, and psoriasis.

It can be used in salads, soups, and teas.

Stinging Nettle might sound a bit tougher. Packed in Vitamins A, B, C, and K, it also has many minerals important to sustaining good health. Inflammation, cancer, allergies, enlarged prostate, and elevated blood sugar are all fought when we consume Stinging Nettle.

Stinging Nettle has a very sharp burn if you touch it with your hands. Yes, you will feel it for hours. That's why I always snip mine using rubber gloves and little trimmers. And.... while my rubber gloves are still on, my herbs will be washed thoroughly and set aside for the recipe!

The Recipe

~ 1 large handful of yellow dock

~ a medium bowl full of stinging nettle (roughly 4-6 cups)

~ 1 32oz of organic broth (bone, vegetable, beef, or chicken)

~ salt and pepper to taste

~ a deep 12.5" pan, filled half way with water

In a 3 or 4 quart sauce pan, warm up the broth of choice on low heat. (I love to use bone broth for this recipe.) Use a bigger pot if you plan on adding water to your broth for a less concentrated soup.

Bring the water in the deep 12.5" pan to a boil. Add the dock and nettle.

As it wilts, the color of the leaves will begin to vary.

This will only take a few minutes.

Remove the wilted leaves and place them on a cutting board.

Don't throw away the boiled herb water!

~Double duty moment~

Filter the herb water through a strainer and coffee filter.

Below, on the left is the filtered herb water.

You can see how much more clear it is than on the right.

Use this for a hair rinse if you have breakage or dry scalp. I set it aside for my daughter who has dandruff. It works great!

Going back to the soup, chop up your wilted herbs and place them into your broth pot. Salt and pepper to taste, since the broth may already contain sodium.

Cook your soup for an additional 10-15 minutes on a low heat.

You can add parsley, rosemary, and dill for extra flavors.

You will get 5 servings from this soup.

I love to add fresh nettle to the bottom of my serving bowls.

As the hot soup is poured over, the leaves will wilt and become a tasty treat at the end!

I hope you enjoy this simple and powerful recipe.

I love to cook this in the Spring when we are enjoying all the new green growth after winter and as a way to say goodbye in the Autumn and get our bodies ready to handle the cold and flu season ahead.

Happy Trails till next time!

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