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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Marienne Kreitlow <marienne AT marienne.com>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: nettle
- Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 09:42:32 -0500
Robert Farr gave us this interesting nettle tea recipe:
...an anti-fungal tea, which turns a deep red when ready.
To dry, cut just before they flower. Lay outside, off the ground
and in
the shade. They'll dry in a day or two. Nettles lose
most of their
sting when dried.
For the anti-fungal tea, take a 5-gallon pail, stuff full w/ nettles,
then fill with water and cover. Place in the shade for about
two
months. Again, you'll know it's ready when the water is a
deep red.
The neatest thing about this tea: the nettles completely disappear
(not
so when making a comfrey tea).
Robert, is that the dried or fresh plants that get put in the 5-gal bucket?
Should we pre-boil the water, or is straight from the well fine?
Can we store it by freezing?
Robert continues:
Nettles aren't that bad to pick - I do it several times a year and
am
not really bothered by it. The sting, while uncomfortable,
goes away in
a few minutes.
My wife, the fourth generation Minnesota farmgirl, says it's reputed to be an arthritis treatment around here: slap the effected area daily with a fresh nettle plant.
She also suggest that you have built up an "immunity" to the sting from drinking the tea.
Hope that helps - and I hope you'll all grow nettles.
Well, we certainly don't have to try to do that here!
Thanks Robert et al.
Jerry Ford
Hei-Low Farm
Howard Lake, MN
- Re: nettle, Marienne Kreitlow, 07/31/2002
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