Foraging: Dead Nettle

I have this 'pretty' weed that is randomly all over the place.

In the garden, herb garden, orchard, pasture...even sidewalk cracks! 

I was curious what it might be so I posted a photo of it on the Facebook page. 

And low and behold, it has a name!

It is Lamium Purpureum, otherwise known as 'Dead Nettle'!

Not to be confused with Stinging Nettle.

And you guessed it, you can eat it!

Seems the reason it is called 'dead' nettle is because, unlike stinging nettle, this does not hurt to touch. It is actually part of the mint family as it's square shaped stem alludes to. This also means it is invasive; a sure-fire sign of a mint family member!

I found little tid-bits here and there on the internet on how people consume Dead Nettle. Smoothies, on salads and things of the like. But, there wasn't overwhelming info on this. So, I am throwing it out there to you, fellow readers! Share with us what you do with Dead Nettle. We mentioned on Facebook trying out a contest for the best Dead Nettle recipe, but the truth is, what could I offer as a prize? 10# of dried Dead Nettle shipped to you? So, let's just share recipes. Post your info or link to your recipe for Dead Nettle in the comments and then I will compile them all and share them in another post.

Update: I did a little more searching and found this link that talks about the medicinal properties of Dead Nettle! Pretty cool!

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This post is linked up at Monday Mania