Steve Cheseborough

Well, I have burned, cut and bruised my precious guitar-picking fingers before. But now I’ve subjected them to a new and very painful indignity: stinging nettles. You’d think I would have realized that the word “stinging” is in their name for a reason. Maybe I thought they were “singing nettles” when I noticed them at the farmer’s market. But anyway I slapped down a few dollars and bought a bag of this green wild vegetable. I had heard they are extremely nutritious in many ways. And I’m game for any new or unusual foods. I do wish the vendor had given a warning, either as a sticker on the bag or a sign posted at his booth or just told me to be very careful with them. But I took ‘em home and took ‘em out of the bag and started stripping the leaves off the stalks, barehanded. Ouch! A couple of little stinging barbs impaled fingers on both hands. I donned gloves to finish the job. And the nettles did come out delicious (even brief cooking removes the sting). But the pain in my hands got worse and worse as the day went on. And I had a gig that night. I just plowed through it, ignoring the pain. And played great, if I must say so myself. Internet sources gave various remedies for stinging-nettle stings, but most were things to do immediately when encountering them in the wild…another wild plant that counteracts the poison; baking soda paste for same purpose (I think that’s when you just brush the plants, not when you get poked by them); using duct tape to pull out the barbs right away (mine were too far settled in for that by now); going to a doctor (which I can’t afford). I started poking around with a needle to try to remove the barbs. Got one of them but the other stayed in, finally, with help from a friend, I got it out a day or so later and it started healing. I’m OK now, after several days. Yes, I can still play the guitar too. I do recommend nettles as food (I made a fritatta and a soup) but do wear gloves!

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