stinging nettles as a farm crop

[paul wheaton]

Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski is a popular permaculture instructor well known as a first class wildcrafter. Skeeter shows off a patch of stinging nettle he is growing intentionally. This is in the fall. He talks about getting three crops out of this patch each year. First, a crop of edible leaves; then a crop of seeds (urinary tract medicine) and finally a crop of root cuttings (prostate medicine). He says that he gets about ten bucks a pound for stinging nettle root cuttings and the small patch will produce about 35 pounds.

Skeeter says that stinging nettles are a dynamic accumulator, accumulating iron and other minerals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2vXlEPhwBE

(I am conducting an evil experiment and would like to ask for your participation: please do the facebook "share" thing with this video. Thanks!)

 

[Cindlady2]

Very nice! I'm also an herbalist and have been having a hard time finding decent patches of stinging nettles. Seems people don't like to have them around!

The leaf tea also dose a real good job on most hives!

Guess I grow my own!

I wonder where one would sell the roots?

 

[savingdogs]

Cindylady2, I have a lot of nettles. Where are you at?

 

[Cindlady2]

Wisconsin..... I would love it if you could send roots or even seeds! I'll pay postage!

PM me if you think you can.

 

[savingdogs]

Well if anyone here wants some of the plant, I could send some, but don't really know how to do it, but have a lot of the plant and not very much cash right now!

I would think I would sting myself silly collecting the roots, when I've tried cutting it back or clearing it out, the plant is vicious. Even wearing long sleeves and gloves it "got" me and the sting is terrible, feels as bad as a bee sting although wears off. I know of a spot where there is an entire hillside of nettles. Ugh! You don't like to find it on a hike. I have an industrious 14-year-old son however who could probably dig endless "starts" for me, given some financial incentive.

I've seen how plant stores ship roots and cuttings, I suppose I could research how to do that but collecting seeds sounds easier, I'm just not sure how to know when it is the correct time for seed collection.

I can't watch your video very well (deaf). Does he show that on it? I didn't watch the whole thing because I could not follow it without sound. I don't imagine he shows what kind of plant start he sends you, does he?

I could experiment transplanting some of it into a patch and see how it takes, but that would be quite a delay. But in the right environment the plant is somewhat invasive.

 

[Cindlady2]

In the video he talks about an early cutting to eat. (I like it with a hot bacon-vinegar dressing) Collecting the seeds for urinary care and the roots in the 2nd year for prostrate help. However he just stood and talked about it but didn't show how to do anything so you didn't miss much.

If you have something to cut it with you can cut it down and let it dry where it lays for a day or 2. After it's dry there is no stinging! After that the roots should be able to be dug. As for the seeds... hummm... hard to discribe... first there is a male and a female that both bare fruit..... here's some links.

If you go way down there are some pictures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

This looks very helpful!
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Nettle.html

Medical info.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/stinging-nettle-000275.htm

 

[savingdogs]

Thank you for those links, Cindlady2. The plant I have in abundance is just like "Urtica dioica" and stings like it, too.

That was very educational for me...I see nettles interferes/duplicates two medications I take for my inner ear disease. AND can aggravate kidney stones which I suffer from. No wonder my doctor suggested I not take it. I understand better now. However, if my medication ever became unavailable, I think I would begin taking nettle tea daily instead and not pick it past the flowering stage to avoid those kidney stones.

Let me mess around with trying to pick and transplant a little of this, and see how that works. I can just imagine what my 14-year-old is going to say when I tell him I want him to help me with NETTLES. He took me on a hike and we encountered a huge field of it and I refused to continue, so he knows how I LOVE that plant. But I was wearing shorts!

I was planning on cooking and eating this plant myself but after educating myself, I realize that it would not be good for me. I think it would benefit my husband however so I may cook him some nettle soup and see how he likes it.

 

[Cindlady2]

It always pays to do some research! You might be able to get roots for transplanting when the shoots start coming up. Eat the shoots and do what you will with the roots. (I would still like some) I think young shoots would be OK for you to eat as long as you didn't pig out on them! As in all things.... moderation! LOL

 

[JRmom]

Stinging Nettles in the yard = EVIL!

Does anyone know if there is a market for sand spurs also?

 

[savingdogs]

Anyone who wants my himalayan blackberry can come get it.....