Perennial Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are one of the earliest spring greens to emerge and offer vibrant nutrition after the long winter! They can be made into a traditional stellar green soup, or eaten like spinach simply steamed or braised with olive oil and garlic, or dried for tea and medicine to use throughout the year (may be beneficial for seasonal allergies). The histamines in their bristles are neutralized by cooking. 
Ultra rich in calcium.
 
We pick the whole 6" or so of the shoot in April and just the tops in May when they're up taller and the tips are still tender. 
 
$10/half-pound bag ($20 per pound)
Note that a half-pound bag is a very large amount! It cooks down in to around 4 cups called for in most soup recipes. 
 
We planted one packet of Certified-Organic Stinging Nettle seed about 8 years ago under our giant Dawn Redwood tree and they enthusiastically spread into the fertile soil of the adjacent chicken yard as well as into the vegetable garden, where we continuously have to pull them up! (hence we also have plants available!)
 
https://hudsonvalleyseed.com/products/stinging-nettle?srsltid=AfmBOoqJ2fKgfONPBZXEbC_WmmvG5Guj1oQpZqGEeW7Fw6WzIxsivI7i
 
https://fedcoseeds.com/seeds/stinging-nettle-organic-4644?srsltid=AfmBOopDeNO-FC2w5shFz6vouhhNkRC1sLkU0kZTHX21DAHBgr1muJPr
 
We make a simple non-dairy nettle soup with vegetable stock, potato and onion similar to this vegan/gluten-free recipe https://vancouverwithlove.com/nutrient-rich-nettle-soup/
Traditional recipes call for chicken stock and heavy cream.
Coconut milk can also be used in place of cream.
 
Some nettle soup recipes:
 
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/nettle_soup/
 
A fairly complicated recipe! https://foragerchef.com/classic-nettle-soup/
 
From the UK: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/mar/29/how-to-make-the-perfect-nettle-soup-recipe-felicity-cloake