Day: May 3, 2022

Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde and welcome to my report. And a very Happy Month of May to you one and all. I hope you treasured the onset of the Merry Month as much as I did. Weather wise it was ideal we got lots of warm sunshine and the soft rain which fell was indeed the answer to many prayers, as we had watched the fields and shrubs take on an arid appearance. The gentle moisture from the Heavens, mostly at night,  stole the show by changing the  thirsty earth into lush green. Places which were recently seeded, showed signs of growth in a matter of minutes.  My earliest memories of May are those of cotton dresses, ankle socks with fancy borders, and leather T-strap sandals, (shlippers in our day ) and daisy chains, and dandelions and birds nests and wild flowers and nettles and docks and new-born foals, fluffy chicks, baby pigs, corncrakes, the cuckoo and rainbow trout jumping in the stream. In other words a world full of wonder and life, new lives to set the world around us into full gear for the months ahead. May was the month when we had nettles with our dinner three times in the month. They being full of iron to build us up against the threat of flu  or colds or any sort of sickness that may cross our path during the year. Early in the month we’d be sent out bucket and scissors in hand to gingerly snip off the tender tops of the offensive plant, and we didn’t always escape but the first painful sting sent us rapidly searching for a dock. The dock considered an unwelcome weed has been hunted and chased since time began but still flourishes today.  The only redeeming feature it ever had was that it’s juices were supposed to cure  the almighty sting of the nettle and that was why we tearfully sought it in our moment of suffering. Mind you I don’t think it ever took the pain away and if we persisted in weeping we were told to ‘shut up our ‘ould crying, didn’t ye rub it with the dock,’ end of story. Arriving in with our pail of leaves  we immersed them in water which did a lot to tone down their punishing power. The strong stems trimmed off the leaves were consigned to the pot where the bacon for the dinner was already boiling. At the dinner table they were served up instead of cabbage three times in the month.  Though they were far from being appetising, we never-the-less devoured them because they were considered ‘good for us’. Years later when I recall the ritual I am inclined to think differently of our use of them. When you think of all the boiling and the straining of the liquid , I can’t help but wonder if strong iron content  wasn’t  thrown away in the water. Maybe we should have been given the liquor to drink and discard the uninviting leaves.  Today we are advised to use nettles to feed our plants. Immerse them in a tub or any container of water, leave to soak and water the flowers with the residue. Nothing could be cheaper and a great way to get rid of the stinging nettle.

[read more …] “Eily’s Report – 3rd May”