Gobo, a vegetable deserving more attention

M

mandabbyx

New member
On 01/05/2011 6:50 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:


That article also talks about it being used for medicinal purposes. It
reminded me of my neighbour's back 40 where there is a lot of stinging
nettles. He told me that it is a good cure for arthritis. He said that
if you you rub it on the afflicted area it provides some relief. I am
not sure that is true. I was weeding in my yard the other day and came
across some young stinging nettle plants. I convinced myself that if I
handled the young plants gently I would not have a problem. I was
wrong. I endured the annoying sting of that thing for two days and this
morning my one finger that has a bit of arthritis in it was sore. It had
not bothered me for months.... until I was exposed to the cure.
 
On 01/05/2011 7:45 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:

It's worth learning about stinging nettles so that you might avoid
problems with it. It is more of an annoyance than a severe problem. I
had heard about it as a kid but never really knew what it looked like
until I moved to this property and was weeding the garden. I grabbed a
handful of weeds, one of which turned out to be stinging nettles. It
felt like I had stuck my hand into a hornets' nest.
 
My mom was telling me about how my grandmother used
to cook with gobo, and it sounded pretty good, so
I bought some today. I just ate some in soup.

It's good. It doesn't have a strong flavor, but
it does have a nice texture. I did soak it for
10 minutes as recommended here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_burdock

I peeled it, though mom said to scrape the outside.
It's sort of like a carrot, but you don't eat it raw
and it doesn't develop that awful flavor carrots do
when cooked. At only $1.69/lb at the Asian food store,
it's cheaper than carrots at Safeway.

The Wikipedia article says it's like artichoke.
It's sufficiently close, I may try steaming it
and eating it with typical artichoke condiments.
 
On 2011-05-01, Dave Smith wrote:


Boy howdy! I peed on one when I was 8 yrs old. Swung away from me.
Guess where it swung back to. ;)

nb
 
On 01/05/2011 8:18 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:


That could have been it. You do not see the spines that inflict that
annoying stinging feeling for a day or two. If you can locate the area
and squeeze it out you are doing well. The problem is that yo usually
get a bunch of them and will still have some in there. After a few days
they cause a bit f infection and you can see the pussy spots to better
locate them and squeeze them out.
 
Dave Smith wrote:

I don't know if I've ever seen a stinging nettle,
but there's a well-known phenomenon in medicine
called counter-irritation. If you have a pain
in one part of the body, irritating another part
nearby can divert attention from the pain, providing
some relief. That's why bee stings are sometimes
recommended for joint pain, as well as devices
that poke the skin with sharp points or deliver
small electric shocks.
 
On 5/1/2011 6:50 PM, Dave Smith wrote:

"But don't run away, as this plant is worth gathering. Nettles are a
mineral supply depot. Nettles have human usable forms of iron, calcium,
potassium, magnesium, and Vitamins A, C, and D. "

http://www.stonecirclefarm.com/articles/stinging-nettle.html

Nettle Soup

Combine in a medium saucepan:

5 cups chicken broth
3 cups young nettle tops (washed and chopped into 1" pieces)

Boil 10 minutes. For a smooth soup, force the cooked nettles through a
sieve or food mill or blend 1 minute in a blender. Return nettles and
liquid to the saucepan and add:

3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 tablespoon butter
? teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper, freshly ground.

Simmer briefly and serve.
 
On 01/05/2011 8:54 PM, Cheryl wrote:


Thanks, but after having been stung numerous times, I am not likely to
try it in soup. However, there is always the chance of some sort of
apocalyptic famine and it might be the only thing to eat.
 
On 5/1/2011 9:16 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
I suppose I might try cooked nettles in desperation if I was absolutely
beat for greens but I'd rather eat cooked spinach and my enthusiasm for
that is nil.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm "not"
[email protected]
 
On 5/1/2011 12:50 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:

I was at a funeral this evening and it's customary to serve a little
meal at the end. They served a gobo dish which was julienned gobo and
carrots simmered in a shoyu and sugar sauce. I'm not a big fan of gobo
because it has an unpleasant fibrous texture. No matter, it's a popular
funeral food as is nishime - which I'm not too fond of either.

The shoyu pork and funeral sushi and mochi was pretty good. It's pretty
funny - they always serve a sweet drink made from fruit punch or orange
syrup at these things. I sure wish they'd serve something better.
 
"J. Clarke" ha scritto nel messaggio

Nettles are absolutely delicious, just wear garden gloves when gathering
them. Wash in a cool bath instead of a shower, wearing rubber gloves. Toss
in a big pot, cover and cook until wilted. All the sting is now gone. You
can then make anything of them. I make ravioli. I also saut? them with
chard and spinach or turnip greens with garlic, red pepper and oil and toss
freshly cooked pasta in it. Add raw oil to taste.

Nettle soup like sorrel soup, of the same season, is jammed with butter, so
though I like it, I never make it. The reason we eat nettles is that the
plant is simply the most efficient at stripping minerals from soil, so they
are a nutritionists dream. If you doubt me, plant some under your roses and
watch your rose turn yellow.
 
James Silverton wrote:
Same here. I keep reading about nettles being edible, but once
stung, it is hard to work up the least bit of desire to try them.

--
Jean B.
 
"Jean B." ha scritto nel messaggio

I have no idea. OTH, any mineral could be toxic in huge quantities, but I
suspect that nettles are not toxic because generations of Mediterraneans and
British have been eating them and have not disappeared from Earth. You eat
them only when there is fresh growth, which here is spring and autumn, and
you nip off the tops which are the freshest growth. In summer when it is
very dry here they are inedible because of a build-up of oxalic acid.
 
In article , [email protected] says...

They certainly are; and a great source of iron, vitamins and minerals.


My grandmother always cooked young nettles in spring as a "cleanser and
tonic" and she picked them barehanded. The sting only develops in mature
leaves; young ones have next to none. She picked barehanded because
that's how to tell the tastiest tenderest bits... they don't sting when
grasped firmly. I'm currently weeding young spring nettles barehanded.

Janet
 
On 5/2/2011 11:29 AM, Mark Thorson wrote:

It's a thing that children learn early and is well known in the phrase
"Grasp the nettle". However, as children also learn, the nettle should
also be grasped *quickly*.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm "not"
[email protected]
 
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