Randolph Feuerriegel said:

>Nettles are said to have many medicinal qualities, too many to list, but
>a few are:
>Relief from asthma, nosebleeds. Used in the form of teas, tinctures and
>as a dried herb. Even used in beer and made into a fibre for textiles.
>There you have it.

This is a bit OT, but I hope nobody minds .....

Nettles! Ahhh .... where I'm from nettles grow in abundance. The story
about dock leaves is true - they're instant relief for nettle stings.
All children growing up in Ireland are more than aware of this! 8-)

Nettles make excellent soup. Here's a recipe;

Park your Westy near a large field of the things. They like to grow
on pasture land where cattle have, errm, 'been'. Put on some rubber
gloves & harvest the leaves. They're best early in the season as
they tend to get tough and bitter later. Keep the gloves on & wash the
leaves well in your Westy sink (VW content!!).  Chop them up into fine
strips. Grab the leaves up &
place them in a pot of boiling water. Add a few cubed potatoes. Throw
in a handful of salt & pepper & simmer until potatoes are cooked.
Blend & serve with plenty of fresh bread. Throw in a dash of cream if
you like!

My grandmother used to harvest nettles with her bare hands. The secret
is to grasp them firmly & they won't sting.

Pete C
'88 Wolfsburg 'Muriel'

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