Purple Dead Nettles (Lamium purpureum) is a member of the mint family, which grows like a weed in my garden.

I often wonder about the hardiness of weeds and how some can thrive so easily in my garden, even in winter. As I work the raised beds this time of year, I try not to focus too much on the bigger task ahead of me – weeding the rows of invasive ground covers, like the one, above.

Row after row of Purple Dead Nettles covers my garden.

From what I’ve read, Purple Dead Nettles (Lamium purpureum) thrives in fertile soil that has been worked. It’s a herbaceous flowering plant that is native to Europe and Asia, but one look at my garden rows, above, and you’d think I had cultivated it for years. The more I read about the plant, the more intrigued I became.

Wild garlic grows along with the Purple Dead Nettles in my garden.

Purple Dead Nettles is no relation to its stinging namesake, nettles, which is where the “dead” comes in. Anyone who has wandered into a patch of mature stinging nettles will know what that means!

Purple Dead Nettles is a member of the mint family, which is easy to determine by its square stalk. It’s also edible, and the leaves and flowers can be used in salads, stir-fry or pesto. Stinging nettles are also good to eat, but you want to pick them when they are young and tender. These greens are both rich in vitamins, minerals and iron, and high in antioxidants.

Blend Purple Dead Nettles with garlic, olive oil and walnuts for a fresh spring pesto.

As there was plenty of wild garlic growing among the dead nettles, I took it as a sign that fresh wild pesto would be perfect for a pasta primavera for dinner.

Dandelion greens are best picked in early spring before they flower.

Dandelion greens were also bountiful in the garden and along the fence, the cooler weather keeping the flowers at bay, making them perfect for salads. Pasta and salad were on the menu!

Asparagus are poking up in the garden bed.

I had a nice bunch of asparagus in the fridge that needed to be used and there is always a bag of frozen peas on hand – a perfect combo for the pesto pasta. My asparagus bed, planted two years ago, is starting to produce, as you can see in the photo, above. I’ll be able to harvest some this season, at least for a few weeks. The third year is when the harvest really kicks in – what a treat! It was well worth the back-bending work of digging a long, deep trench and feeding it with compost and manure before planting the crowns.

One thing to note before you make anything using wild greens and plants – be sure of what you are picking before eating! I have worn, tattered copies of the Peterson field guides that have been lovingly used throughout the years. Get a copy or go to a reputable website, preferably one that is a .org or .edu. Once you’ve determined what is edible, make sure to pick plants that have not been treated with pesticides and avoid those that grow along roadsides, which are often treated with chemicals in winter.

So back to the lovely, but invasive, Purple Dead Nettle. Now is the time to pick it, when the plants are young and tender. I used about 2 cups for a batch of pesto, along with about six bulbs of wild garlic. It produced what I would best describe as a “grassy”-tasting pesto, fresh and flavorful, especially after it sat for a while in the fridge. It was especially good topped with a hefty dose of freshly grated Parmesan.

Purple Dead Nettle Pesto Pasta Primavera

Makes 4 hearty servings

For the pesto:

1. Approximately 2 cups of freshly picked Purple Dead Nettles (leaves and flower tops)
2. 6 small bulbs of wild garlic
3. 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
4. Salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
5. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Combine the first four ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the processor running until desired consistency. Turn the processor off and scrape down the sides of the bowl to see if it needs more olive oil. Taste to adjust seasonings.

For the pasta primavera:

• Cook up a 1/2 pound of your favorite pasta according to directions.
• In a large skillet, saute whatever vegetables you have on hand: start with a couple of chopped shallots in olive oil; cook until they sweat. Add sliced baby portobello mushrooms, fresh asparagus, fresh basil and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Toss in about 1 cup of frozen peas and heat through. Add some vegetable broth to create a light sauce.
• When the pasta is al dente, toss it into the skillet and mix with the sauteed vegetables. Add about two heaping tablespoons of pesto and toss it all together; see if it needs a bit more pesto or seasoning.

Enjoy right away with a side of fresh dandelion greens – now that’s a taste of spring!

Purple Dead Nettles make a mean spring pesto is a post from: Dish 'n' That