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 On the face of it nettles are rather annoying because they sting. Very similar to 'green people' who keep reminding us about things we would rather ignore. Unless you are allergic, (and there are some people who appear to be allergic to green ideas and notions), stinging nettle stings can in fact be quite good for you. Their built-in hypodermic needles with fresh, ready-made injections turn out to be helpful for rheumatism and arthritic conditions.
Their stings contain serotonin, one of the 'good mood' chemicals. Far from dreading nettle stings in the garden I quite enjoy the occasional sting as it seems uplifting. In some strange way the sting increases my 'awareness' of the nature going on around me. The Romans in Britain used to thrash themselves with nettles, a practice called 'urtification'. Some say it was to keep warm in our climate (poor buggers), others say it was for remedial purposes. Nettles certainly have a strong tonic function.
Stinging nettles are multifunctional, they are an ingredient in soups, green vegetables, even haggis, dye, pesto, beer, shampoo, and host of remedies. They can be treated to make rope and cloth, cattle fodder and have very high plant sugar levels that can be extracted. I choose nettles as a perfect symbol of 'resilience', a herb plant to be highly valued.
Then there is also the colour of stinging nettles. It is just my favourite green, intense, dark, delicious in all its shades from the pale leaves of spring to the colour of nettle soup to the large, dark, late-summer leaves of the mature plant, often festooned with flowers like perfect pearl necklaces of grand, old ladies. Sometimes, when dappled sunlight hits a stand of nettles, they appear to glow green, as if emanating the energy of nature itself. It is no wonder that nettles were one of the original nine sacred plants in Ancient Britain.
Then of course astrologically the nettle is ruled by the planet Mars. This planet is central in my own chart as I am an Aries (ruled by Mars) with Scorpio rising, which is ruled by Pluto, but originally Mars. The nettle then is to me the perfect personal plant, a bit off-putting to begin with but as you get to know it a whole world of useful and interesting things emerge. So to celebrate Nettle Soup the ezine, ( and of course to try and get my online recipe for nettle soup higher than Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's on Google, (which is a challenge with the WI and BBC involved in his Google strategies !) I have in addition to this ezine dreamed up www.nettles.info - a whole web site dedicated to the humble nettle.
In this first issue of Nettle Soup, you will find info. on nettles (of course) and an introduction to themes of Transition and Resilience. The movie 2012 is under review and there's a fascinating octopus video clip from Youtube. A useful bit of Christmas tree recycling is included along with an alt. med article on the Kitchen First Aid Kit and some useful energy saving tips from my energy blog and some links to new energy saving products. I am hoping future issues to run along with these themes. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas / feedback you have.
So Welcome to Nettle Soup: Issue 1 of Nettle Soup is free online, as are new issues as they emerge, but please sign up using the form at the top right of any page in the ezine to receive forthcoming issues. Just click here for Nettle Soup issue 1.
Many thanks,
Simon Mitchell
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