The Chicago Tribune had an article, 10/11/2023, about drinking infusions of stinging nettles to calm allergic reactions. The article does not suggest how the nettles are harvested without incurring the discomforts of harvesting the plants. Warning: Don’t rush out to start cutting nettles without further information about usage.

The article caught my eye because of research for my novel Long Reach. In Indian Fishing: Early Methods on the Northwest Coast, Hilary Stewart describes First Nation tribes harvesting stinging nettles to make strong fishing lines and other necessary utensils. Ms. Stewart explains that the women cut the nettles late in the summer, split and dried them before spinning the fibers into twine.

I began collecting Hilary Stewart’s many books with explicit text and drawings of First Nation customs when our family spent years visiting the Inside Passage of the Georgia Strait, British Columbia, Canada. The urge to share her wisdom was an incentive for writing Long Reach.