nettles

Anybody spotted any nettles coming up yet?

Anybody have a spot where they know there are lots and lots of nettles?

I was in the seattle area a few weeks ago and helped pick some nettles and was then treated to nettle lasagne.

would love to be in on this - will check in with some locals on location...

Any news on location?

Looking for locations still.  I've heard that nettles in our area are just getting started.

Locations? The way I find them is to go walking in the bushes thinking very loudly" I hope I don't walk into nettles" & low & behold there they are.

I know that Greenough park has tons, & with the cool weather there might still be a bunch.

It wouldn't be good to eat nettles now - they would be too big.  But I did find some in greenough park. 

Can you pick then & cook or dry them now or are they too big for that now too?

too late for that too.  But here in a couple of months they will be just right for making into cordage (or net).

So for consuming them at all they need to be young? How tall is ideal?

And then as they mature you can make rope & cords??

Are they dry when you harvest them for cord or still green & stingy??

You know Greenough park has an abundance of burdock also, have you ever harvested it here in MT?
Its so dry here I imagine the tubers would be stringy & tough? (or should I find the burdock thread to ask that)

Dianne Keast wrote:
So for consuming them at all they need to be young? How tall is ideal?

Shorter than knee height.

Dianne Keast wrote:
And then as they mature you can make rope & cords??

Yes.  Of course, only the people that are really into that would try.

Didn't frank zappa have a song about coming to montana to grow a crop of dental floss?  Maybe this is what he was thinking of. 

Dianne Keast wrote:
Are they dry when you harvest them for cord or still green & stingy??

dunno.

Dianne Keast wrote:

You know Greenough park has an abundance of burdock also, have you ever harvested it here in MT?
Its so dry here I imagine the tubers would be stringy & tough? (or should I find the burdock thread to ask that)

I have never harvest burdock.

Thanks for sharing, I look forward to the next nettle post.

Here is a little bit about medicinal uses:


MEDICINAL QUALITIES OF STINGING NETTLE
Stinging nettle is an astringent, diuretic, tonic, anodyne, pectoral, rubefacient, styptic, anthelmintic, nutritive, alterative, hemetic, anti-rheumatic, anti-allergenic, anti-lithic/lithotriptic, haemostatic, stimulant, decongestant, herpatic, febrifuge, kidney depurative/nephritic, galactagogue, hypoglycemic, expectorant, anti-spasmodic, and anti-histamine.

Nettle leaf is among the most valuable herbal remedies.  Because of its many nutrients, stinging nettle is traditionally used as a spring tonic.  It is a slow-acting nutritive herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes.  It is one of the safest alteratives, especially in the treatment of chronic disorders that require long-term treatment.  It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys.

Nettle’s iron content makes it a wonderful blood builder, and the presence of vitamin C aids in the iron absorption.  As a hemetic (an herb rich in iron), this is an excellent herb for anemia and fatigue, especially in women.  It “promotes the process of protein transanimation in the liver, effectively utilizing digested proteins, while simultaneously preventing them from being discharged through the body as waste products.” FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html