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nettlesome

About this time of year I go out with Zan to go get some nettles from Discovery Park. I get a bunch. I make tea with it, I cook it up and eat it like greens, I sting myself in the joints with it. I basically get as much of it in my system as I can while I have a batch of it.

Zan also tinctures it with vodka and makes nettle vodka shots, but I don't go that far.

Why? Because the hayfever I get in a few months is completely crippling for a few weeks, and nettles seem to make it better. Plus, the stings improve local circulation in joints that have limited mobility from me smashing the bones around them.

Also, it's really tasty and nutritious. I stew it with chicken and chicken broth. This year I blended the greens with a little onion and milk to make a Chicken Cream of Nettle. It came out rich and delicious.

When I do it, I feel like a total witch for a couple of months.