Nettles for an idiot

[fredcraft]

Contrary to widely held international belief the British do wash their greens.
I wash mushrooms as well, TB infected badger might of sneezed on it.
It just when you are in the field and fancy a snack we just brush off the brush off the beetles and stuff and eat it, and joke that they eat that kind of thing in the colonies.

Hehehe, it's not more about British customs of foraging that I was refering to more than to the mentality of "I'm in the woods, I'm a man, I'm rough and tough. Only sissies wash their nettle leaves before making soup !"

But yes, if you are into cullinary experiences, once in a while there are professional chefs that prepare great insects based dishes (protein source of the future!) in Montreal so your beliefs about "colonies" are not completely wrong founded

 

[Jodie]

"Mother Nature Has Cooties" - ha ha

I think it was that I didn't quite know what the mites were (and also I felt a bit
daft picking leaves off the tree by the bus stop) and they seemed to be pretty
well embedded into the areas where the veins branch on the underside of the
leaf.

I do have the magazines and they are fab, I've also downloaded various
other how to articles and have some books, but when faced with the nettle I'm
a little bit shy of it.

 

[gunnix]

I never wash greens I gathered.

Don't think there's anything wrong with it either.

There's not much I ever wash actually

bit difficult without running water, but I've also heard many times people do live to hygienic and would be more healthy if living more dirty. Good news for me

 

[fred gordon]

Rays latest TV series recommended just wilting the young tips over a fire and eating them as they are. He made appreciative noises, so I guess I'll give them a try sometime soon.

Ogri the trog

I think there were appreciative noises about everything they ate in that series. However, nettles soup is the business.

 

[Toddy]

Crushing, wilting or heat will all destroy the stinging ability.

Early leaves for a Spring vegetable, like asparagus. Rich in minerals and Vit C, etc.,
Juice from this stage is also used as a natural rennet when there's little else available and in previous times no one wanted to slaughter a calf or a hen for that just as the season was turning.

Slightly later for soup and for tea, and this stage also makes a good robb (syrup base for medicine) Makes a frothy (explosive, be careful!) beer.

Full size but not in flower for dye and cordage. I've also used this stage for soup and it was fine. Again for beer, though it's better I think now used with early barley for an ale.
The fibre rich pulp left from dyeing makes a very good papier mache.
Fibres, both with the skin on for cordage and retted out for fine white ones for spinning and weaving.

In flower and seed for fine fibres, salt and a different dye.
Seeds for munchies and good for fattening hens, seems to encourage egg laying.
Dried stems as fire crackle.

Kind of cut and pasted from my answer on an older thread

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goose]

Rays latest TV series recommended just wilting the young tips over a fire and eating them as they are. He made appreciative noises, so I guess I'll give them a try sometime soon.

Ogri the trog

Tried it last week, tased a little bland but not unpleasant.

Toddy, what is fire crackle? And, How do you collect nettle seeds, do they need treating etc?
Or should I go look up the original thread?

 

[Toddy]

Fire crackle is any of the dried and broken hollow plant stems. If they are fibrous too, like nettle or mallow then so much the better. The broken hollow stems kind of act like mini chimneys to help draw a sluggish fire and the fibres help the flames catch.

Seeds are gathered as the clusters start to turn colour. I just dry them off in a paper bag.
For the hens just cut the seedy nettles down and leave them for the birds to root about in. If the plants lying on the ground attract beetles, worms and slugs the hens will have them too.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goose]

I get it, it is like putting thin kindling on top of a fire,it"shouldn't work" but it does seem to give a bit of life back to the fire.
I will try the seeds later in the year,Thanks :You_Rock_