Nutrients

[Mash]

Well done - saved me testing the stingy little b@3d&rds.

[buffalobob]

You got that right Mash apparently the ancient Roman's used to self flagellate with nettles to ease/stop arthritis I would rather lash myself with a friggin mackerel trace if I had to choose, at least it would stop hurting straight away when I stopped
I will never forget my auntie Iris losing her grip on my sisters hand when she was having a pee in a hedgerow and landed on a nettle bed She was only 5, she did the nettle dance all the way home. More than 60 years ago and I'm still laughing

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Day 4

[Mash]

I thought we had had the conversation about hiding in my brew shed! Stoppit

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[buffalobob]

mine looks like it should have a frog swimming around in it.

[Easydrinker]

Away the fizzy ferments!
Don't they just make you feel good?

Robert.

[DorsetScott]

Nettle wash has been going for almost 4 days now and not showing any signs of running out of steam. My inner Scottish man is proud
Cheers Bob

Super chuffed it works so well. Definitely on my list to try now

[buffalobob]

Why wouldn't you DS? It's full of nutrients, no queuing to get it, free of charge and as fresh as you like. Winner winner chicken dinner I'll be doing this wash again next time.

[Mash]

A word of warning for anyone using the nettles, which comes from harvesting them for eating (they make an incredible soup and a pretty good "beer". I'll pop them in the recipes later maybe.)
Anyway I digress. When they start to flower they undergo a chemical change and start producing cystoliths - microscopic rods of calium carbonate which can be absorbed by the body where they will mechanically interfere with kidney function. This won't get you straight away but builds up in the body. Don't know whether it's the same if you're just boiling them and discarding leaves, but probably not worth the risk.

Question.
Is this a problem if we ferment them?

I ask, because if it isn't, we have a year round source of free nutrient?

[DorsetScott]

A word of warning for anyone using the nettles, which comes from harvesting them for eating (they make an incredible soup and a pretty good "beer". I'll pop them in the recipes later maybe.)
Anyway I digress. When they start to flower they undergo a chemical change and start producing cystoliths - microscopic rods of calium carbonate which can be absorbed by the body where they will mechanically interfere with kidney function. This won't get you straight away but builds up in the body. Don't know whether it's the same if you're just boiling them and discarding leaves, but probably not worth the risk.

Question.
Is this a problem if we ferment them?

I ask, because if it isn't, we have a year round source of free nutrient?

That is the question indeed. I will do a little research and try to find out , I honestly don't know.

[DorsetScott]

apparently the ancient Roman's used to self flagellate with nettles to ease/stop arthritis

Legend has it that they actually brought nettles over here and rubbed themselves with them to keep themselves warm.

It's worth remembering there are hundreds of varieties of nettles nowadays, some which you can't even feel the sting through to those which throb for a week, they may have had a variety which felt nice.

[buffalobob]

I've done a bit of reading up on nettles in the last couple of days and come to realise how amazing they are. They really are a superfood, just about the most nutritious plant around. 4 times the vitamin c as an orange for instance weight for weight. They are at their best now. They should be avoided when they flower for the reasons in Dorset Scott's post. They can be dried or frozen for use later.
They have been used as a medicine for centuries and studied in medical trials and found to be helpful for a wide variety of problems, prostate and arthritis to name just two. I hadn't a clue before now how brilliant it is as a resource.

[Mash]

You can use nettles for pain relief, you rub them on your private parts and It takes your mind off pain anywhere else

Okay, I'll get my coat

[gaza the instructor]

Do you mean "Take the pain away but leave the swelling"Mash.

[buffalobob]

And if nursey picks the right sort of nettles to shove in your pants it will throb for a month too

[Easydrinker]

Who would have expected a major weed to come front and centre?

Robert.

[buffalobob]

It makes a very good soup too, had some for my tea

[Easydrinker]

A new 'super wash', and the credit is all yours!
Have a glass of something.

Robert.

[buffalobob]

Yesterday I picked another carrier bag of nettle tops for the next wash. To store them until I need them I crammed them into my veg steamer and cooked them till they wilted down. This only took 4/5 mins and kept all the goodness in them. A quick blitz and they all fitted into a container just a bit bigger than a bean tin. In the freezer now

[Easydrinker]

We are expecting sunshine here today, I'm going nettle scrumping!
As if irate people would object to you stealing nettles!

Robert.

[buffalobob]

The nettle wash has been on the go for a week now so I took an sg reading this morning. It's now at 9.9 and showing signs of clearing. I'll give it another couple of days and cold crash it. It tastes good, better than kale at this stage. I think this will make a very good neutral cheers, Bob.

[buffalobob]

I meant .99

[Easydrinker]

9.9 would have meant very sugary nettles!

Robert.

[buffalobob]

Just before I left school we all had to get used to the idea of going metric. As usual I was buggering around and our maths teacher gave me a bollocking and said I was too clever by half. My mate said, he's not sir, he's too clever by point five. Which just goes to show how a wrongly placed decimal point will always land you in trouble

[Easydrinker]

LOL!
I too remember those days.

Robert.

[buffalobob]

The nettle wash fermented right out no problem, it never showed any sign of running out of steam so I'm happy with that It cleared up nicely so I did a couple of strip runs yesterday. I'm doing another strip run today and a spirit run tomoz. I'll be interested to see if it makes a good neutral, cheers Bob