3 more voting days!

Just a reminder, if you haven't voted for your guy/gal yet in the Beaver's worst Canadian poll, get busy and do it now!

I'd almost forgotten about this, so I checked and the votes are still being counted until June 1st. So do your duty and vote!


Skal!

Tuesday night nettles

With a hat tip to the gang at Dust My Broom, I'm doing some plagiarizing here and sharing one of my fave spring rituals. Which is, the harvesting and consumption of Urtica dioica or what we all know as stinging nettles. Yesterday evening I raided the patch I have been cultivating the past few years (they aren't as prolific here in AB as they were in the Fraser Valley) and had my first delicious feed.

I am still surprised that most people up here have never eaten this succulent wild delicacy. I get dumbfounded stares of amusement when I tell my co workers how good these little stinging demon plants taste. So here you go:

Pick these little beauties when they are a few inches tall, use shears or scissors and a glove. You can hang on the to leaves carefully but there is still a mild sting so beware. If they are taller than 6" just clip the top 4-5" off (and some the large leaves if you like). They'll grow like grass once decapitated so you can keep harvesting the same patch.

Fill a large bowl or paper bag and give them a good rinse, I prefer to fill the sink 1/2 full of cold water, swril them around some and let them sit awhile. One thing about the alberta nettles is that they are slower growing therefore you have a longer harvesting window (once they go to seed it's too late) but the later it is the more likely little green worms will reside on them, which is no problem, just rinse them off. Once rinsed put them in a pot of boiling water about 1/2 full and let steep for a few minutes. You can put an oxo cube in with them if you like but I prefer them straight up. Pull the cooked nettles out with a fork or some tongs and serve hot and steaming, top with butter, salt and/or pepper, a splash of vinegar (or all 3) and prepare to enjoy the one of the tastiest and nutritional (very high in protein and vitamin A) wild veggies there is! Also, keep the water and enjoy as a hot strong tea or drink it cold.

As an added bonus, some say that they'll put more sting in your stinger!


Skal!

Cry, Cry Cry Cry..

Enough Already! OK, I'm used to the trademark gnashing-of-the-teeth and wringing-of-hands that we've all grown used to coming from the left side of the spectrum, but THIS is going to far. Now that Dion has taken the Lib's further to the left than they have ever been before, they have elevated said teeth gnashing and hand wringing to all out crying. To quote Dennis from over at Steve's, they are fast becoming the official "Mommy Mommy!" party of Canada.
Given that their leader always looks like a meek little girly-man ready to burst into tears at the slightest of slights and is always demanding that those mean old Tories apologize for one thing or another, it now appears that the rest of them are falling into line. Now the panty waisted David McGuinty is whining and sniveling because he was poked in the shoulder in the "Ugly Brawl" by Royal Galipeau.

This is getting to the point that even I am feeling embarrassed for the lib's. C'mon guys - BE A MAN!

Skal!