I got up early to buy some stinging nettles at the Union Square Greenmarket last week (the previous week they were sold out by the time I got there). Take a good look at the close-up of the stinging nettles above and you can really see how they got their name. You have to boil them before eating them to avoid stinging yourself, and then you can do whatever you’d like with them. They don’t have a lot of flavor, but they do have an almost minty, herbal finish. I thinkone of the best reasons to eat stinging nettles is just the thrill of eating something so local and seasonal, something that’s only available for a couple of weeks a year.