Still Smarter

I forgot to buy some bloody kale today when I did my shopping. I was wondering has anyone used nettles as a nutrient? They are supposed to be a superfood after all. I know that there are the usual alternatives to kale but, you know, just wondered

Not used nettles, but I bet they would work fine.
Just choose some the dog hasn't pee'd on!

Robert.

Yes Robert they do have pro's and cons I'm sure they would work tho but dealing with them would be apita!! I just wondered if there's anyone tighter than me on this forum is all. I would be saving £1.05 after all. Talking about dog pee, I saw a dog pee on a newly installed electric fence once, but not for long. He rapidly became a dot on the horizon cheers

This forum is great, because it has seems to have people with great resources, people of limited ones, and others inbetween.
Many of whom allow their inner Scotsman to show on occasion.
Nothing wrong with that, CV19 may be a wake up call to a wasteful generation.
You must own a pair of gloves mate, get out there and get some nettles.

The Duke of Cambridge, Queen Victoria’s uncle, declared in 1846, during the Potato famine-
“Rotten potatoes and sea-weed, or even grass, properly mixed, afforded a very wholesome and nutritious food. All knew that Irishmen could live upon anything and there was plenty grass in the field though the potato crop should fail.”

I'd like to have met him in a dark alley.

Robert,

Ha! even the nettles with added dog piss would work. The nettles provide nettle stuff and the dog piss provides added potassium and nitrogen.......

I wonder if any other of the greens would do as opposed to kale.

A quick google brought this up:
Brassica oleracea is a plant species that includes many common foods as cultivars, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.

So perhaps its OK to use other members of this family. Has anyone tried it, or know of any data regarding this?

Ele.

It's that green water that has all the goodies in it, vitamins and minerals,
so I recon any green veg given the Kale prep.

buffalobob wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:29 am I'm sure they would work tho but dealing with them would be apita

Actually, dealing with nettles is super easy. You can harvest a carrier bag full in about 15 minutes (and I only harvest the top 4-6 leaves), quicker than going to the shops and there is probably a patch closer to you than shops too.
A pair of gloves (or a confident grip and they wont sting) and some scissors and get chopping

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.

Nettles will work to add nutrition to a wash. High in nitrogen.

Thanks for that Scott, I did read about that aspect re. Flowering period, should have posted about it myself really cheers Bob

Elecrafter wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:34 am I wonder if any other of the greens would do as opposed to kale.

A quick google brought this up:
Brassica oleracea is a plant species that includes many common foods as cultivars, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.

So perhaps its OK to use other members of this family. Has anyone tried it, or know of any data regarding this?

Ele.

I think it is safe to assume that they all contain pretty much the same mix of nutrients.
Get stuck in and find out

You could have a new blog, we can call it
"Ready steady distil"

Got a carrier bag of nettle tops during our hour of exercise today. I tried to make sure they were the right height for dog piss for added vitamins but to be sure I pissed on em anyway. Obviously I waited till I got home I'm not an animal So we'll see how well they work shortly, I love experimentification as our American cousins would say ,cheers Bob

Well it's bubbling away like a goodun at the minute. Let's see if it lasts the course though I'm fairly confident it will, it set off as fast as kale and thats not slow off the mark. Happy with how its started. I'll post a photo of it tomoz

May have to do the same, I'm intrigued. Although I've been craving nettle soup since we started talking nettles, that may have to come first!

Starting to regret a thorough spraying of Gallup 360 a couple of weeks ago.

Robert.

a rough patch is good for insects. Is it good for creeping buttercup Robert it's taking over my lawn along with red ants. I did a lot of damage with fores last year on my ant population tho. Having said that who needs fucking lawns they piss me off.

Looking good after around 18hrs. What you'd call a vigorous ferment I didn't hydrate the yeast just dumped 40gm into the fermenters.
Cheers Bob

Quick get the lid back on and ...Calma....Be patient.

BB, are you hiding in my brew shed? That's my beer from yesterday! In my bleddy fermentater....

For anyone that might be interested I picked the top 4/6 leaves as per Dorsetscott's instructions for soup. Took 10mins to get a carrier bag 3/4 full. I washed em and boiled 500g in 2l of water for 5mins or so till the stems were tender then blitzed the cooked nettles and put them back in the water I cooked them in. When cooled I split between 4 fermenters. Hopefully that was enough, but we'll see in a few days.
P.S. after I blitzed I had a taste, it was not dissimilar to that stuff that popeye the sailor was so keen on. Nettle soup next

Mash, I put it to you sir that due to it being a bonk holiday, you not only started early but helped yourself to a large portion. This has obviously led to delusional behaviour. I will admit to impersonating your brew but deny hiding in your shed or using any of your fermentification vessels cheers Bob

I have been out to the shed and checked. Moved the fermentifier to safe place and put a mouse tap on it, just to make sure.

Very good for the mices, did you include mousy sized glasses?

Robert.

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