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national be nice to nettles week.

 
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selfsufficientish



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 2:28 pm    Post subject: national be nice to nettles week. Reply with quote
    

I was just researching for herb of the month for next month and I discovered that there is going to be a national be nice to nettles week. Nettle soup anyone https://www.nettles.org.uk/

judyofthewoods



Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

that's not being nice to nettles

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't know, I'd rather be turned in to soup than chopped up and composted or sprayed with weedkiller and left to shrivel.

Hope nobody is going to ask me to make that choice though

(Also hope I'm not the only one to read the headline as "be nice to netties week". We are nice to netties! It would be hard to be otherwise, given our experience of Netties!)

wellington womble



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There is an ad on the left of this post which says 'Nettles for sale - new and used nettles'

I don't fancy used nettles, but seeing as its ebay, you could probably buy them!

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's taken me ages to encourage nettles into our garden. This year will be the first when we'll be taking a few crops off them. We'll probably try them as a vegetable, in a green pasta and veggie curry.

Gertie



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Bugs - I thought it was be nice to nettie week - she's a lovely lass anyway, so of course I would be nice.

Anyway, once I get my eyes tested I might be interested in being nice to nettles - they are never nice to me, we get loads in our field and I always have to run around for a dock leaf.

I know nettles make a good plant feed if rotted down with water. I know you can make nettle soup, do they have any other good uses?

What does nettle soup taste like, hmmmmmn may have to try it. Anyone got a recipe?

Gertie



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Andy, have just read the link - got the recipe for nettie soup. Trust me to jump in with both feet before reading the link. It's a good link!!!

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Gertie wrote:
Trust me to jump in with both feet


Big bowl of soup then.

Gertie



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You've changed your avatar, what happenened to pumpkin - soup!!!!!

judyofthewoods



Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
It's taken me ages to encourage nettles into our garden.

I thought I was the only mad one to actually plant nettles! Seems I'm in good company here (not that I ever doubted that!). I've thrown nettles into a stew with lots of other things, think its quite bland, couldn't taste much. I did once have nettlesoup at a stall, and it was very nice, though, again, it was proabbly the stock base which gave it most of the flavour. At least its not unpleasant, and so good for you. But whatever you do, don't be as daft as me, thinking it might be nice in a salad, if picked young. Its NOT, it is *%&@# painful! The German word for calico is Nessel, which is nettle, as it used to be made of its fibre. Its the staple of some butterflies, a blood cleanser etc.etc. Good place to plant is near a compost toilet to take advantage of the nitrogen. Nettles are very suitable for greanleaf curd, a.k.a. leafu.
BTW, when I was a teenager I was stung by a nettle, and had the odd idea to use a snail to deaden the pain, and it really worked, just let it slither across the stung area. Not sure if the slime was soothing or maybe alcaline to nutralise the acid. Not been in a situation to try it again since (never a snail handy when you need one).

selfsufficientish



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol
PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 05 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Not sure if there is one on that site have not had a huge explore of it yet - there is a recipe on my site https://www.selfsufficientish.com/nettles.htm also nettle haggis is pretty nice too - https://www.selfsufficientish.com/nettlehaggis.htm
and who could forget nettle beer - https://www.selfsufficientish.com/nettlebeer.htm

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 05 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Gertie wrote:
Andy, have just read the link - got the recipe for nettie soup. Trust me to jump in with both feet before reading the link. It's a good link!!!



Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 05 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

judyofthewoods wrote:
Nettles are very suitable for greanleaf curd, a.k.a. leafu.


Judy, have never, ever heard this term before! What is it? (I know I could not be lazy and search google but you sound like you're talking from experience )

judyofthewoods



Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire
PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 05 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Partial experience. Read a fascinating article in Permaculture magazine some time ago, and had a go, but only with what was then abundant at my site - rosebay willow herb. Not suitable, I have to say, it does not produce a clear green juice like from grass (now there is an abundant, nutricious source), but a gloopy thick juice, and it did not seperate out as it should. Anyway, I'm putting the cart before the horse...If you extract the juice from green leaves you can seperate out the protein part by dribbeling the juice into boiling water so that it is fast heated and curdles (not unlike beaten egg dribbled into soup). Quoting the article:"Fast heating.....reduce the possibility of pheophorbide formation..." whatever that is. "...The green layer, which forms on the surface should be removed with a fine strainer onto a tightly woven cloth such as calico and the remaining whey pressed out as well as possible....." The finished product is similar to tofy, hence leafu. One caveat, you need loads of greens to get a small amount of curd.
There is a book "Leaf Protein" by N.W. Pirie, Cambridge University
I have not seen the book, but imagine it's an academic tome.
I will be doing some experiment soon and do an illustrated how-to on my website, just the mechanics of it. Brambles are rather abundant too here. And what about eating your way through knotweed protein? Its a survival food in a majour disaster situation, talking collaps of society, the infrastructure, through war, epedemic etc. doomsday stuff, when the shelves are empty, the marouding hordes have killed anything that moves, then you still have a protein source if there is anything green around and you have a juicer and a press, though two rocks would even grind down your greens (put the pulp in some water to dissolve out the juice) and you can strain them in any cloth, then use bigger rocks to press. Oh, you will have to know how to light a fire with two stick after all the matches and lighterfuel are gone

Vic



Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 387
Location: Sherborne, Dorset
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 05 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I just clicked on the Nettles Ebay link (how could you not?) - did you know you can get a signed photo of John Nettles as Bergerac for only £1.49? Bargain!

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