Young, bright green nettle leaves are delicious when cooked. Pick them from plants that have not made flowers and avoid larger leaves, which have a coarse texture and bitter taste. Wear gloves and use scissors to snip off the leaves.
Look for nettles in gardens and fields away from roadsides. Remove leaves from stalks, if any, and wash in two or three changes of water. Nettles cook quickly like spinach; they completely lose their sting when cooked.
In Italy, nettle leaves are often used as a substitute for spinach when making fresh pasta.