Stinging nettles (
Urtica dioica) are also starting to appear in reasonable quantities.
In spring when the leaves are young, if you grasp them confidently and roll between your fingers, you can remove the stings without getting stung and eat the leaves raw. They make a pleasant snack.
I like to gather lots of nettle leaves, place them in a small amount of water, add vegetable stock granules and pieces of spicy sausage and boil to make a simple soup.
People are always skeptical about the cooking process breaking down the stings, but it really does. I really enjoy nettle soup!
Nettles are a rich source of minerals (especially Iron) and vitamins (especially vitamin c). They have been used in the treatment of skin complaints and rheumatism and internally are good for the kidneys and circulation.
The outer stem of this plant can be utilised to make fine cloth and can be used to make a strong cordage. The word "net", as in fishing net is derived from the word "nettle" as nettle cordage was used to make fishing nets.
I have found that the juice from inside the plant, counteracts the effect of the stings.
First the feather needs to be trimmed to leave just the quill. There are two methods of doing this; One method is to cut them off with a piece of flint
and the other is to start at the top of the feather and pull removing a thin strip of membrane along the edge of the quill
When you are left with just the quill decide one the length of float you require and then this down the quill by scraping or cutting it with the piece of flint.
Then fold the quill at the point where you have thinned it
I used a piece of nettle stem as a lashing to hold the two pieces together (the nettle should be waterproofed with resin or something similar).
The float is now completed
and ready to use
