I believe this is Stinging Nettle or Urtica Dioica. This is horrible, awful, unholy stuff. Well I just found out this stuff is fantastic food for animals and humans alike!! Who Knew? Well, Chickenista from Homesteadingtoday.com knew. Only problem is getting around the stinging part to harvest them. I guess as soon as they are picked the sting starts to dissipate. We have this stuff EVERYWHERE! I am not exaggerating.
I can't go in the back without jeans on. I hoped the goats would trample it or something but they stay far from it. I don't blame them, when I do get caught by it it can sting up to 12 or 24 hours depending on where you touched it. Fingers are the worst place to get it. Anyway, now I'm actually trying to figure how to really grow this stuff for feed for the animals. I think I'm going crazy! We also have Bull Nettle, cnidoscolus stimulosus, not sure if it has as much good stuff in it.
5 comments:
Why not look into fishing waders
and heavy rubber type gloves to tackel the
nettles
ggma
Jeans ussually do the trick, but the days they somehow find their way up my pantlegs waders don't sound bad.
Goats will eat it!!
It also is great for your hair (if you want to deal if getting it out of the ground and then boiling it.)
Dora Renee' Wilkerson
I noticed your goats wont eat it.Go figure mine love it but we don't have any here (our old place had some.)
Dora Renee' Wilkerson
p.s.
I can send my goats over for a few days for you! hee..hee..
I am harvesting it for hay in the winter for the goats and rabbits. The goats will kind of eat it when it is dry. I also make tea for the chickens with it. Stef wants us to start eating it too.
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