"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "Brian" contains these words:

Young nettles taste similar to spinach.

My Granny used to feed us cooked young nettletops every spring; they
contain iron and were a traditional rural spring "cleanser
..

An old friend of mine still makes and eats a recipe for "Spring
Pudding", from Cumbria, which iirc contains young nettle tips, sheep
sorrel, and some other wild herb I've forgotten. I made it once, but
Granny's nettles are preferable :-)


Last time I went to a farm show on the mainland, the WRI had the usual
demos of spun, woven and knitted wool and hair (everything from sheep to
rabbits cats and a dog), and woven fabric made from nettles. Nettle
fabric is much like linen made from flax, and the process is similar.

Janet.
___________________-
Cumbrians do/did seem to make use of nettles. I remember a pub
that sold nettle beer in much the same way that Somerset pubs had Cider.The
beer tasted awful. I believe they still use nettles to cover their cheeses.
'Smells' do linger in one's memory. The smell of differing
'grownups' made them identifiable~~especially if they were known for
sweets!!.
More than anything was the smell of Cedar wood, in the kindergarten,
after I had butchered dozens of pencils in the sharpener. The back of my leg
stung but it was worth it!
Rain smelt different every season. Only hay seems to have the same
scent.
"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be"
Brian 'flayb' to respond.