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Nettles

Elena

Wise Old Thumper
I have searched for this and found some posts but I'm still really confused.

My lops have been eating these, what I can only assume are, baby nettles. Short with tiny pink flowers. We also have some big nettles in the garden. Can I cut off the whole nettle and feed it? Or just the tips? Do I need to crush them to remove the sting or not?

I am confuse-ed.
 
I'm just remembering an old thread, and I can't precisley remember but I'm sure they don't feel the sting... sure it was on the UI'm dring loads of herbs thread
 
what your describing sounds like dead nettle - edible
i've seen buns eat stinging nettles tho straight off the plant :shock: doesn't seem to bother them
 
Can just about see them in this picture. They are very short and there is a small clump of them in the grass where the grass has got burnt from the sun somehow.

_IGP2254-vi.jpg
 
the short ones with pink/purple flowers are dead nettles. Stinging nettles grow much taller and don't really have proper flowers if I remember correctly.
 
i really can't see from the pic but oh what a sweet little thing :D funny thing someone just sent me a plant pic to id and it turns out it was a dead nettle, i can't post link on here tho but if you want to email me :
rabbitnutrition@hotmail.co.uk i can show you the pic to see if it was the same plant
 
Do a google image search for "dead nettle" to compare.

D'oh why didn't I think of that.

Yes it is. Looks exactly like this...

300px-Red_Dead_nettle_close_700.jpg


There are still a few of those dotted round the garden so I'll continue picking those as Mini adores them. Nettle is good for lots of things too isn't it, I wonder if that's why her tums been good despite her moult. Once they're gone I'll try them with stingers. :)
 
One of my stepdads fave facts is how stinging nettles and dead nettles are actually from differenjt plants familes; Stinging nettles from urtica and dead nettles from lamium which im sure he told me is more closely related to mint.

I wouldnt give my buns stinging nettles just from an irriatation point of view. but maybe it wouldnt effect them!
 
Floppy eats stinging nettles happily. Then again I think my two have teflon coating in their mouths. They eat brambles, stems, leaves and all just as they would eat parsley!
 
that's red dead nettle. only now seeing this :oops:

:lol: i worked it out in the end ;) Mini always goes for them first so that's why I've ordered some of those seeds off you ;)

One of my stepdads fave facts is how stinging nettles and dead nettles are actually from differenjt plants familes; Stinging nettles from urtica and dead nettles from lamium which im sure he told me is more closely related to mint.

I wouldnt give my buns stinging nettles just from an irriatation point of view. but maybe it wouldnt effect them!

I did try them with them in the end but dried out. I picked a load with gloves, tied them in a bunch and hung them upside down when we had that very dry, very warm spell and they dried off in about two days. They loved them, they went quick quickly so it's something I'll do again if I can't find dead nettles. Well, i've have some seeds soon so we should be fine. :D

ETA. On James Wong's show he said that if you chop them very finely they don't sting :D not something I've tested myself though!
 
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