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Welsh Nettle Beer |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Posted: 30 August 2018 at 11:51 |
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I struggled to find a proper translation into Welsh for this, and finally gave up.
I make no claims as to whether this recipe is "viable" or "authentic," as I am unable to try it due to a lack of needed ingredients. I hope someone is able to give this a try, perhaps in the UK or northern Europe, and would really love to hear about the results. I would suggest covering the fermentation vessel with a tea towel at the very least, or using some sort of blow-off tube or air-lock, if possible. I will caution: 12 hours of fermentation, then 24 hours of "gassing off" before sealing the bottles seems like it might not be quite enough time, but I cannot say for sure; with only 1 pound of sugar for the yeast to consume, it could very well be just fine for the intended results, I do not know. It might be "safer" to bottle this in PET plastic bottles, at least the first time. If I were able to try this, that's what I would do.
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Regarding the currant leaves used in making this, here are some relevant snippets from Wikipedia:
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pitrow
Master Chef Joined: 22 November 2010 Location: Newberg, Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1078 |
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My parents have a couple red currant bushes in their back yard, I wonder if the leaves can be substituted. I'm not sure what goose grass is, but everything else seems find-able.
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Mike
Life in PitRow - My often neglected, somewhat eccentric, occasionally outstanding blog |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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I would bet that red currants would work just as well with no trouble at all.
As for Goose Grass, I'm not even sure what it might be related to; here are some examples, according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goosegrass I'm pretty sure I've seen one of the varieties here in Montana: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carex_lenticularis According to the USDA, that one (Carex lenticularis) can also be found in in the Pacific Northwest: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CALE8 |
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pitrow
Master Chef Joined: 22 November 2010 Location: Newberg, Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1078 |
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I did a rather loose search for goose grass and came across this... http://www.survival-manual.com/edible-plants/goose-grass.php And given the definition in wikipedia and that it's in the same family as coffee, I'm guessing that's what it means, though it's certainly up to debate. I've seen plenty of it around here in the woods. When spring comes around I might be persuaded to give this a try.
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Mike
Life in PitRow - My often neglected, somewhat eccentric, occasionally outstanding blog |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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An important note:
I'm still sorting out what "nettles" are, but it appears that at least some of them are related to the Nightshade family, which means that some can and probably are poisonous. I strongly caution anyone to keep this in mind if pursuing this project. |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Good news regarding nettles:
It looks like one of the most common species (Stinging Nettle) is widely distributed throughout the United States and Northern Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica It also appears that while this one can "sting" you a bit, it doesn't appear to be deadly, and is in fact used for various culinary and herbal purposes. |
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pitrow
Master Chef Joined: 22 November 2010 Location: Newberg, Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1078 |
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Hmm, you may be right on that one. I was misreading that as 'needles' like pine needles. Along the lines of spruce beer.
Stinging nettles are quite common around this area for sure. I've been stung many times with them, and once as a kid my friends and I even had a "war" where we took rather long stalks of it and would attack each other like they were swords. It produces a rather unpleasant burning rash that lasts a couple hours. I've never had it as food before but I know people make tea out of it. |
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Mike
Life in PitRow - My often neglected, somewhat eccentric, occasionally outstanding blog |
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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Nettles have a long history as both a foodstuff and medicinal herb. The "stinging" hairs covering the leaves inject formic acid into the skin.
Depending on the person, the reaction to this ranges from an irritating itch,to a burning rash. However, the hairs (actually phytohypodermic thorns), lose their potency when the herb is cooked. |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Thanks for the information, guys - my own knowledge on them is exactly nil.
It looks like the best time for this project is springtime; our own GarethM and a couple of other fellows in the UK are going to give this a try; assuming that the same or closely-related components can be found on this side of the pond, I'd be interested in seeing if anyone can give this a go over here, too. |
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pitrow
Master Chef Joined: 22 November 2010 Location: Newberg, Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1078 |
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Just wanted to add this link for those who want to try to harvest stinging nettles for this. https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-harvest-and-prepare-nettles-2952739 |
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Mike
Life in PitRow - My often neglected, somewhat eccentric, occasionally outstanding blog |
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