I cut it wearing gloves and toss the bag into the freezer. It's lovely in a spring greens soup, soft and mild, and once frozen, the leaves are easy to remove for that preparation. So yummy!
Yes, gloves are always recommended! I just happen to love the thrill and have figured out a way to avoid the sting (it is not fool proof, though!) I love it as a soup with potatoes and leeks! Such a versatile and wonderful plant once you get past the sting! Thanks for your comment :)
I make Nigel Palmer's fermented plant juice. It's not original with him, but his instructions are very good. It's also found in Korean natural Jadam farming. It's a deep-rooted bio-accumulator of minerals not found in most plants with shallower roots. It's deeply concentrated and I dilute it in water 500:1 to use as a foliar spray or a soil drench.
That sounds so nutrient dense and wonderful as a natural fertilizer! I've made "compost tea" with comfrey, nettle, and horsetail. Seems like the plants/soil love it. Thanks for your comment!
anyone around WNC actually extracted good strong fiber from stinging nettle? if so I'd love to hear how you did it. I've gotten really nice fiber from the native woods nettle, but have had trouble with european stinging nettle. I'm curious if there's something about the growing season or properties of stinging nettle grown here which makes the fiber develop less strongly here, or if it's some retting/processing nuance. Thanks!
I'm very curious about this too! Your theory about the growing season makes sense to me... There is a fiber artist in Asheville that goes by the name Cricket Kaufman, their Instagram is @frae_handmade. It looks like they have experimented with a lot of wild/native fibers. Perhaps they have experience with this?
I don't understand how you could handle this plant with your bare hands. I cannot come in ANY contact with it (it even gets through my gloves) without a severe reaction which lasts all day. First the burning sensation which lasts two or three hours and then the whole area goes numb for the rest of the day. I don't recover til the next morning. I am starting to think different people have different sensitivities. Though I have heard many times about the benefits of stinging nettle--I'll be staying away!
I think you are on to something! I have thought the same thing, I think different people have varying histamine reactions to this plant like they do poison ivy/bee stings, etc. It definitely leaves the area tingly/hot when I get stung, but I am careful if I harvest without gloves so there is minimal contact to the stinging hairs. It is kind of thrilling and helps circulation if it isn't too uncomfortable, though!
I cut it wearing gloves and toss the bag into the freezer. It's lovely in a spring greens soup, soft and mild, and once frozen, the leaves are easy to remove for that preparation. So yummy!
Yes, gloves are always recommended! I just happen to love the thrill and have figured out a way to avoid the sting (it is not fool proof, though!) I love it as a soup with potatoes and leeks! Such a versatile and wonderful plant once you get past the sting! Thanks for your comment :)
I make Nigel Palmer's fermented plant juice. It's not original with him, but his instructions are very good. It's also found in Korean natural Jadam farming. It's a deep-rooted bio-accumulator of minerals not found in most plants with shallower roots. It's deeply concentrated and I dilute it in water 500:1 to use as a foliar spray or a soil drench.
That sounds so nutrient dense and wonderful as a natural fertilizer! I've made "compost tea" with comfrey, nettle, and horsetail. Seems like the plants/soil love it. Thanks for your comment!
anyone around WNC actually extracted good strong fiber from stinging nettle? if so I'd love to hear how you did it. I've gotten really nice fiber from the native woods nettle, but have had trouble with european stinging nettle. I'm curious if there's something about the growing season or properties of stinging nettle grown here which makes the fiber develop less strongly here, or if it's some retting/processing nuance. Thanks!
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I'm very curious about this too! Your theory about the growing season makes sense to me... There is a fiber artist in Asheville that goes by the name Cricket Kaufman, their Instagram is @frae_handmade. It looks like they have experimented with a lot of wild/native fibers. Perhaps they have experience with this?
I don't understand how you could handle this plant with your bare hands. I cannot come in ANY contact with it (it even gets through my gloves) without a severe reaction which lasts all day. First the burning sensation which lasts two or three hours and then the whole area goes numb for the rest of the day. I don't recover til the next morning. I am starting to think different people have different sensitivities. Though I have heard many times about the benefits of stinging nettle--I'll be staying away!
I think you are on to something! I have thought the same thing, I think different people have varying histamine reactions to this plant like they do poison ivy/bee stings, etc. It definitely leaves the area tingly/hot when I get stung, but I am careful if I harvest without gloves so there is minimal contact to the stinging hairs. It is kind of thrilling and helps circulation if it isn't too uncomfortable, though!