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Crannog Festival of Nettles a Hit

31/05/2011
Aberfeldy & Kenmore

The humble stinging nettle got a culinary and craft spin at the Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore, Loch Tay as the Iron Age team celebrated their annual Festival of Nettles on the Bank Holiday, 30th May.

The festival also celebrated Tayside’s Biodiversity Month, and is inspired by the discovery of nettle fragments and pollen at the 2,600 year old site of Oakbank Crannog in Loch Tay. It seems our Iron Age ancestors couldn’t get enough of the plants, in contrast to many people today who merely view them as pesky weeds. Rich in vitamin C, the fresh young leaves of nettles make a delicious soup and they may be substituted for spinach, making a nutritious addition to omelettes, risottos, and stews. The leaves may also be steeped for tea, or dried and crumbled and used as a herb

Long recognised as a habitat for butterflies, nettles are also known for their fibres which can be spun into a silky cloth, or twisted and plaited to make durable string and rope. During the festival, visitors got an opportunity to try this themselves, and to learn from Perthshire’s nettle expert and textile artist Birte Ford, who was exhibiting a range of crafts and giving demonstrations. Extracting the precious fibres from dried nettle stems is quite a skill, and the process of then spinning them into yarns which can be woven into cloth, bags, and belts is very labour-intensive.

Meanwhile, visitors also tasted a range of nettle foods including breads from the team’s Iron age style ovens. From nettle soup to nettle spaghetti, there was something sting-free to suit everyone’s palate, including samples of nettle beer.

Nettles are also used for medicinal purposes and have been said to ease arthritis. Accordingly, a range of nettle soap and shampoo was on offer.

Whether it was crafts, culinary creativity, or cordage - the Festival of Nettles provided fun and inspiration for all ages. The event ran from 11am to 4:30pm.

For further details of this and other events, please contact the Centre on tel. 01887 830583 or visit the website on www.crannog.co.uk