Nettles: More useful than you think

Stinging nettles are practically the scourge of the earth. The little buggers are rightfully considered an annoying weed.

While not as despised as poison ivy, the nettle's penchant for blemishing people's skin with itchy welts hasn't won the plant many fans.

But the stinging nettle plant isn't all bad -- really! Here are a few uses for stinging nettles you may not be aware of.

You can eat them

Believe it or not, stinging  nettles are edible. Once you cook them, the demon weed is rendered stingless. While they probably aren't the tastiest thing in the world, they could be a lifesaver if you're lost in the woods on the verge of starving to death. Just make sure you don't touch them with your bare skin until after they're cooked.

You can make tea from them

To make stinging nettle tea, snip off the tips of the plants, put them in a pot, and add boiling water. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes and then drain it into a cup.

Stinging nettle tea is purported to remedy sore throats and stuffed noses.

You can make cheese with them

Rennet is a necessary ingredient in the cheese-making process. Most people don't realize that most rennet is obtained by slaughtering baby calves and harvesting it from their stomach. If you want to make your own cheese totally from scratch, but don't want to scrape out a baby calf's stomach, you're in luck: you can use stinging nettles to make some kinds of cheese.

To make stinging nettle rennet, combine 6 cups of strong nettle tea with 4 cups of uniodized salt.