News of the Nettle, A little bird brought me, A message given to her whilst flying free, Of how this year, if you get pierced – you will feel a sting oh so fierce! Urere! Urere!…..To burn! To burn! Bringer of the flame – A wisdom we call Nettlology, A pioneer plant, which cannot be tamed. A guardian of the threshold – transporter of the breath. She is ready now for war – she is ready to protect, Some say she is evasive, or is she screaming to be heard? A NETTLE EPOCH! Hear me cry! Take heed of every word. There exists, such a symbiosis, with this our ancient mother, Called living fossil, called famine food, A plant unlike any other. Protector of beast and bird, creator of soil, A harvest you can gather, without the need to toil. Queen of transmutation, A guide to us through change, A guide to us through change, Resilient and adaptable, evolved down through an age. Brings antidote to the sickly sweet, A mothers milk for pain, To nourish and to strengthen, food directly to your brain. Teaches about boundaries, stokes internal foundries – Assists synapse interchange, She is energized to act, when things around get tough, Nettle is the one nature calls on, when she has had enough, For she is destined to make a stand, to heal the ravages wrought on the land, She holds the power against the foe, whom through the land does roave, Her roots run deep and she brings flow, If you meet her you will know! After initiation – Nettle offers ALL she has, she has the empathy to feel, How we too are Nettled, don’t know what’s real. Tantalizingly veiled, her wisdom – not all has been revealed, If the world makes you feel weary, let her be your shield. Connect with this powerful ally, who holds the power of light and dark, You may think it strange, but at close range, she will lay bare her spark. To sting as the Nettle does, two houses now united, Chose unity, evolve, be free, your passions now ignited, When taking counsel with the Nettle, show caution, give respect, For ALL she gives, And ALL she knows, NETTLOLOGY IN . FULL . EFFECT In 2012, in response to an increasingly insane world, we created a permaculture community group to do something proactive in our community for health, well-being and to create local systems that support and develop practical resilience.
We set a number of objectives – one of them being looking at how we can provide staple crops for ourselves locally. These are, of course, a most important part of our diet as they are plant foods routinely consumed in large quantities, supplying a major portion of a population’s energy and nutrient needs. With our food systems being on a knife edge, we decided it was an important focus to look at what viable alternatives we could provide for ourselves.
So this is how our journey with the Nettles began…..Although perhaps not strictly speaking a staple crop in the traditional sense of the word it does contain One cup of blanched whole nettles has:
- Calories: 37
- Protein: 2.4 grams
- Fat: 0.1 grams
- Carbohydrates: 6.7 grams
- Fibre: 6.1 grams
- Sugar: 0.2 grams
- Calcium: 428 milligrams
- Potassium: 297 milligrams
- Iron: 1.5 milligrams
Source: www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-nettle-leaf
But that is only the tip of the iceberg – or perhaps the tip of the nettle leaf to be more appropriate!
We have since learnt so much from many wonderful people about this amazing abundant natural resource and have held workshops, talks and even a few Nettle-fests along the way! Most recently, we ran a Nettle immersion at The Theatre of small convenience.
https://www.smallesttheatre.org/
In 2020 the poem ‘The Nettle Epoch’ was born the poem is partly a narrative on the world we live in and pays homage to the rich historical folklore and magick surrounding this plant but it also contains a lot of information about the nettle below is the poem in full but over the coming weeks we will be breaking it down to explain the factual meanings behind the metaphors.
So if you would like to join me on a path less travelled…look out for part 1 coming soon.
welcome 