Texas Nettles – Urtica chamaedryoides

Alright–how many of you have been strolling along observing nature, possibly bare-ankled and met our friend Heart-leaf nettle?

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Just wanted to give it some props for spreading so nicely across the hills and waterways this year! Yum!

 

UPDATE! The tincture of this yummie Nettles is STILL bright green…alien green if you ask me. I made a fresh Simplers tincture with 90% alcohol. (I threw in a splash of spring water) It’s been brewing now for about 7 days.

It tastes just like the Nettle smells. And tingles as it goes down your throat. I feel the energy moving outward in my chest and upward in my throat and head. Urtica chamaedryoides is a friend of mine.

At the time a made the tincture I also set out a crop to dry in our open air living room.  It’s now completely dry and OUCH-free.  I can handle it with ease.

Just for fun I also lightly steamed a handful (well, a tong-ful) to see if it would reduce or eliminate the sting.  I’d say it reduced it, but you need to cook it all the way down to make it edible!

 

Mushrooms!

We saw some awesome looking mushrooms on our hike this weekend. It turns out they are an edible species, and the related Hirneola polytricha is cultivated in China and Taiwan for culinary use.

Unfortunately we only found 2 tiny colonies–we won’t be selling these. They grow on dead fallen branches of deciduous trees, which is where we saw ours as it turns out.

The latin name is Hirneola auricula-judae–Judah’s Ear. They do look a little like a human ear, but wrinklier. It’s part of the Auriculariaceae family of fungi.

I may venture out again and pick one to taste…

I’ll let you know. They say to use the young ones as they become tough and chewy as they mature.

“Spring” time again

My pile of yummy chickweed with a hidden grub

If you are living in Central Texas, today is a great day to get out in the garden and pull the overgrown grasses or old annuals out of the ground. The earth is soft and lush after the rains of the week.

It’s a beautiful and cool afternoon.

It’s also astrologically good day to plant roots or hardy plants. The moon is in Capricorn an Earth sign with grounding energy.

If you have chickweed or cleavers growing, you can grab a large handful or two and throw them in the blender with a bit of water to make a deliciously green juice. This juice can be mixed with lemon or a fruit juice to give it a tasty twist. The yummy juice will help start the spring detox process. Make a cup or two everyday until the plants die back.