The clouds come in and the rains come down. The upside is that all that moisture gives us an island rich in green. Look down and see long grasses, flowering bushes or look up to thick evergreens and bountiful broad leaves. In this emerald tapestry there are hidden treasures like Urtica dioica, also known as stinging nettle. Despite its leaves and stems, which basically act like tiny hypodermic needles  injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation, the plant has a few other trick up its stem.  The plant is rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. It has even helped some achieve fame – the Stinging Nettle Eating Championship in England draws thousands of people, where competitors attempt to eat as much of the raw plant as possible.

Although we at the Sounder do not encourage that you eat these stingers raw, we have asked Orcas Islanders to share their favorite recipes.

Grace McCune likes to pick nettles and dry them on a line in her attic. When dried, she crumbles them up and stores them in jars to later make into tea or add to a soup or other recipe.

“They last throughout the year that way and it always tastes and feels a little like spring when you break them out any time of year,” she said.

Valerie Harris’ favorite nettle recipe are cooked as greens with just a touch of bacon and finished with a splash of your favorite vinegar. A new dish she tried last year was nettle and Jerusalem artichoke cream soup with chives, garlic and onions.

If you want to go a different direction, follow Annette St. Pierre’s directions to add this nutritious plants’ leaves and stems to a fresh smoothie. If you really want to be bold, you can roll up the leaves and “pulverize” them between your fingers before you pop them in your mouth, said Eirena Birkenfeld, but be careful.

“My first attempt, I was stung on the roof of my mouth, a wild food experiment I will never forget . . .” Birkenfeld added.

She also recommends using nettles for a “highly medicinal nettle infusion.” Her instructions are to half fill a gallon jar with fresh nettle leaves and pour boiling water to the top. Add as much honey or molasses as you want and stir while the water is hot so it dissolves. Let it sit for 12 or so hours for super potency and then pop it in the fridge.

So next time you go for a hike and get stung by this nutrient-rich plant, get the ultimate revenge by frying it up and trying it on a new dish.