To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] [off topic] Foraging
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:36:43 -0500
Dylan,
I've drunk nettle tea many times, bought from the health food store.
I've talked with a Tennessee couple who grow lots of nettles to dry to add
to soups and stews for the winter. But all we've ever done with ours is eat
them fresh, usually in a stew or quiche or with eggs. The way I pick them
is to wear gloves, or sometimes just a glove on the hand holding the
clippers. With the ungloved hand I take hold of the tip of a leaf, clip off
the top of the plant, maybe 2-4 pairs of leaves down, and drop it into my
cooking pan. When full, I take it to the stove and pour hot water over the
nettles. After 5 minutes of cooking they are ready to be chopped and added
to a quiche or have some other omelet ingredients added. Be sure to pour
the cooking water into cups to drink, heavenly. You might want to add salt
and butter to it, or a bit of boullion, or make some kind of Japanese style
soup from it Or for stew, just start adding the rest of the ingredients.
One of the best things about having nettles in the garden (not running loose
like in England where I cussed them frequently, but in a single patch) is
that they are perennials. They come on early in the spring before the
spring planted greens, and are a welcome change from the overwintered
brassicas. Then in the autumn, after the heat of summer it seems to be best
to mow them down when they have gone to seed and are looking, well, seedy,
and then they spring back up in the autumn rains, ready to eat again.
You know, nettles are supposed to be good for hayfever. Our local
health food store does a brisk business with rather expensive freeze dried
nettle capsules for customers who can't abide the side effects of
antihistamines. (Never mind fruit trees. Our fruit crop is toast, but the
nettles look great.) They also are used to make a beer that my husband says
turned out very well for him decades ago when he made some. Bright green
too, save a few bottles for St. Patrick's Day. Donna