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  • From: "Rob Wallbridge" <rob AT songberry.ca>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Stinging Nettle (WAS: squash blossoms)
  • Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:30:48 -0400

Hi Laurie,

I'm afraid I'm no stinging nettle expert! This woman approached me two weeks
ago and asked if I had it, and I knew we had wild patches all over the farm,
so I asked her to email me late in the week to remind me to harvest it for
her.

I just went out with a pair of shears and heavy gloves and cut the stalks
off near the ground, bunched them with an elastic and shoved them in a
grocery bag -- probably about 10 stalks and I asked her for $5.00 -- she
reacted as if she'd be willing to pay more, but how much do you charge to
get rid of a weed that's practically growing at your back door?

They were big plants -- a foot or more tall, and starting to flower. Years
ago I ate them steamed and in a quiche when they were harvested as young
leaves in the spring, so I wasn't even sure if she'd take them, but she said
she'd make soup and dry the rest for tea. They were for her thyroid, I
think. Maybe I should be drying the plants, then stripping off the leaves
and packaging them for the herbal medicine market, who knows?

Wish I could be more help -- for me, it was quick attempt to meet a customer
request, and I didn't put a lot of thought or research into it, to be
truthful.

Cheers,
Rob

Rob Wallbridge
Songberry Organic Farm
24 Sixth Line, Bristol, QC J0X 1G0
email: rob AT songberry.ca
web: www.songberry.ca
facebook: become a fan of "Songberry Organic Farm"


-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Barking Cat
Farm
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 12:06 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: [Market-farming] Stinging Nettle (WAS: squash blossoms)

Rob,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. If you don't mind sharing, I have
several questions about how you packaged and priced stinging nettle.

What kind of price did your stinging nettle fetch? Did you cultivate it, or
did it grow wild? We have it all over our farm, and we have some interested
chefs so my pricing would have to be wholesale level.

Also, how did you deliver it? Did you bunch or bag just the leaves or
include the stem as well? About how big was your bunch? One of our
interested chefs has indicated they want just the leaves, but I've not seen
it packaged for sale anywhere, so am looking for pointers.

Last thing I can think of now is how tall was the plant when you harvested,
and how big were the leaves? I have no idea at what stage to harvest.

I'm not thinking I'll get rich harvesting this "weed" for some of my
customers, that stings like the devil and I have to mow down anyway. But
to those who like to cook with it, it's just another little something out of
the ordinary I can offer.

Thanks in advance,
Laurie
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