On 4/7/04 6:12 pm, in article , "mich"
wrote:


"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , Bob Smith
writes
What do nettles taste like? I assume they must be realy good to want
them
in your garden.

Their flavour when cooked as a boiled vegetable is not unlike cabbage or
spinach, but that is only one of many reasons for wanting them in the
garden. I use them mainly for nettle infusion to be used as an insect
repellent, a plant tonic and a source of soil nutrients, and for organic
composting. They also can be used for making very good beers, wines,
teas and in salads or casseroles.

My paternal grandmother ( according to my father) always used them as a tea
to "clean the blood". She used a lot of weeds and nettles and knew herbal
medicine quite well apparently.

I hope she wrote her knowledge down somewhere.

Usually used in spring after a poorer and stodgier diet of winter ( the old
lady was born in the 1870's - didnt have my father until she was 54 and
there was no test tube babies and the like back then)


Nettle tea used to be a 'spring tonic' among older generations. I believe
they're high in iron and are also a diuretic, good for rheumatism etc.

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)