Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 18, 2023

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 18, 2023 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 


ENJOY THE DELICIOUS NETTLE: 

An excellent food, medicine, and fibre source 

[Nyerges is the author of “Guide to Wild Foods,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” 
“Foraging California” and oth-ers. He has led Wild Food Outings since 1974, and 
he lectures and writes on natural sciences and ethno-botany widely. His website 
is www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.Nyerges.com, or he can be reached at School of Self-
Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041] 

This year, our rains came, and there has been an abundance of chickweed, various 
mustards, mallow, and nettles this year, all very nutritious. 
At several of my hiking spots, I noticed that workers have already been busy weed-whacking, cutting 
down this annual crop of useful foods and herbs that have sustained millennia of people, as if it was 
all useless trash. This is part of our culture’s current schitzophrenia – we talk “green” and how we 
want to be healthy and save ourselves and save the earth, yet, the very plants that can save us are weed-
whacked, sprayed with Roundup, and tossed into the trash cans. And then health enthusiasts go to 
places like Whole Foods and pay $10 a box for the very same “medicinal weeds” that were probably 
growing in their own backyards. 

Of course, I understand the other side – city officials don’t want nettles growing around parks where 
children might sting themselves. Never mind that the sting can actually be a benefit to offset future 
arthritis --- the city doesn’t want the liability. So, at this time of the year, vast acreages of nettles and 
other useful wild plants are cut down and unceremoniously poisoned and killed.
And I can never get enough nettle. 

I get allergies, especially later in the year, when I’ve been under and around the trees that produces 
lots of pollen and cottony-fluff, like willows, and cottonwoods, and cattail, and oak. I’ve tried numerous 
remedies over the years to combat the allergy, but all with limited success, but the nettle tea 
seems to work quite well. 

Here are some of the many ways I used the nettle greens: 
For allergies, I make an infusion of the nettle leaves (dried or 
fresh), and I drink it pretty regularly in the evenings. It has 
helped to relieve congestion and improve my ability to breathe. 
It seems to work even better than my old standby, Mormon tea.
I also add the fresh, dried, or frozen nettle greens into my evening 
soup. The soup is enjoyable and tasty. In fact, nettle is one 
of the tastiest wild greens out there, and widely under-rated.
Sometimes I just cook nettle greens like spinach, and I even 
drink the water because it is so flavorful. I add it to various 
soups and stews, egg dishes and omelettes, and even burritos.
Sometimes, if I want a quick meal, I’ll make a package of ramen 
noodles, and add lots of diced or dried nettle and onion 
greens. I’ve also added the dried or fresh leaves of nettle to 
spaghetti sauce. Powdered, I’ve added nettles to pancake batter 
to increase the protein content and improve the flavor or 
the pancakes. I’ve not yet tried making pasta with nettles, 
but a friend of mine routinely dries and powders various wild 
greens, mixes it 50/50 with flour, and runs it through a pasta 
machine to make some unique pastas. 

Years ago, I would periodically meet people who survived 
the hardships of World War II, and among other things, they 
spoke of how nettles saved their lives. Usually, they would say 
that nettles and cattails, two widespread common plants, had enabled them to make meals. Until recently, 
I thought they were exaggerating because I hadn’t been aware of the versatility of nettles, and 
how it’s really a nutritional powerhouse. 


ALL ABOUT NETTLES 

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioeca) is a fairly common plant throughout most of North America, as well 
most of the rest of the world. It is one of the plants that you always see on the charts of “noxious 
weeds” published by companies such as Ortho and others, letting you know that their product will 
effectively wipe out these “worthless plants” in your gardens. 

The reason why so many people dislike stinging nettles is because when you brush up against it, you 
break off the tips of tiny hollow needles that are filled with formic acid, and you get a stinging reaction. 
This reaction is short-lived, and can be remedied by rubbing the skin with chickweed or curly 
dock, or even wild grasses. 

Nutritionally, nettles is a good source of Vitamin C and A. According to the USDA’s Composition of 
Foods, 100 grams of nettle contains 6,500 I.U. of Vitamin A, and 76 mg. of Vitamin C. This amount 
contains 481 mg. of calcium, 71 mg. of phosphorus, and 334 mg. of potassium. This amount also 
contains 5.5 grams of protein, a lot for greens, though not complete protein. 

Herbalist Michael Moore, author of Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, describes nettles as a 
diuretic and astringent, and he adviSes the tea for use in cases of internal bleeding. 

In general, nettles are found growing in the wild near streams, in moist soil, in rich soil, and often 
near raspberries and blackberry vines. And in the urban areas, it seems to grow everywhere: along 
roads, in fields, backyards, gar-dens, and at the Highland Park Farmers Market, I’ve found it growing 
in the cracks of the sidewalk. 

If you cannot yet recognize the wild nettle plant, most gardeners or landscapers should be able to 
show you one. Or go to a nursery, where nettles are often growing in their pots and soil. 

DI LADY DI OPENS FEBRUARY 24 AT 

SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE 

The title Di Lady Di refers of course to Lady Diana Spencer, 
the teenaged bride of the future monarch of the United 
Kingdom who would go on to become one of the most famous 
and admired women in the world. 
The narrative begins when Diana is still a girl. Her family is 
torn apart by divorce, and she is separated from her mother. 
Born into a noble family, she is accorded the title of Lady. 
Blonde, beautiful, and a virgin at nineteen, she attracts the 
attention of the Prince of Wales who, a decade her senior, 
is under pressure to marry and generate heirs to secure the 
royal line. He had been dating her older sister. 

Diana marries the Prince and does her duty by birthing two 
sons. The Prince rewards her love with betrayal. He has a 
mistress. 

His unfaithfulness sends her into a spiral of depression and 
she is ultimately granted a divorce.
She refuses to remain a victim, however. She is prominent 
as an activist for a variety of humanitarian causes, notable 


among them advocacy for AIDS patients and a push for the 
abolition of land mines. She becomes the public’s favorite Royal and regains her own agency as The 
People’s Princess. 

Even death cannot erase her personal triumph. 

Di Lady Di is a musical, with a song score of twenty-three selections, with intelligent lyrics.
Charlotte Munson is the show’s star, and also crafted the show’s book, music and lyrics. She is the recipient 
of a Master’s Degree from University of Tennessee. Her extensive credits include roles in New 
York (All Kinds of People, Hedge Fun, Princes in Cyberland) and regionally (Into the Woods, South 
Pacific, City of Angels, so many more). In October 2022, she won the Actors Circle Award from the 
Short & Sweet Hollywood Festival for her performance in her play A World Apart. 

Her collaborator in composing the music for Di Lady Di is her father, Dr. Richard Munson. He has 
performed his music with his ensemble in New York at P.S. 122, Carnegie Hall and The Mudd Club. 

Di Lady Di received the award for Best Musical from the Hollywood Fringe Festival and was designated 
Best of the Fringe by The Tvolution. 

“Munson delivers a thoroughly captivating, ultimately quite moving performance in a production ingeniously 
staged.”---Stage Scene L.A. 

“Moving and funny and comforting and yet still daring and wild in places….much like the princess.”---
NoHoArtsDistrict.com 

“A perfect performance in a perfect production.”----The TvolutionCovid-19 safety protocols are being observed. As of this writing, this means that audience members 
will be required to wear masks inside the Playhouse auditorium. 
Di Lady Di. A new musical. Book, lyrics and music by Charlotte Munson. Music by Richard Munson. 
Starring Charlotte Munson. Presented by Sierra Madre Playhouse. At Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. February 24- March 5, 2023. Fridays and Saturdays at 
8:00, Sundays at 2:00. Admission: $45. Seniors (65+) $40. Youth (21 and under) $25. .Discounts: : Teen 
tickets (age 13-19) are available at $5 through the TeenTix Pass program. Go to our website to learn 
more. Reservations: (626) 355-4318. Online ticketing: http://sierramadreplayhouse.org 


SWEET SIBLINGS 
JOEY & LIZA 

These darling siblings, Joey & 
Liza, are only 5 months old and 
very sweet. Liza is almost all 
black, with a white mustache 
and chin; Joey is black and white 
with a cute black mark around 
his nose and a narrow, white 
blaze. 
Liza and Joey are playful with 

people they know well, but may be a little shy with someone 
new until they get used to them. If you already have a young 
kitten at home about their age, they do not have to be adopted 
together. 

Submit our application on our website, at www.lifelineforpets.
org for a meet & greet. They will come spayed/neutered, 
chipped, vaccinated, and more. See more pictures of them on our Very Young page. 


Pet of the Week 

It is impossible to not see the beauty in this Rainbow!
This happy-go-lucky one-year-old loves adventure! Sheparticularly likes going on hikes, playing with stuffedtoys, and then stopping by the local pizza place for aslice and a pint (of water, of course).

 Rainbow has been described as a “very excitedcuddler”. She adores human affection so much that 
she’s bursting with love. She flops around on her backjust begging for another tummy rub.

 She is also very smart- she knows how to walk nicely onleash, meet other dogs appropriately and knows someof her basic commands. We’re sure that this Rainbow 
will certainly lead to a pot of gold!

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptionsinclude spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriatevaccines.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary healthand-
wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, aswell as a goody bag filled with information about howto care for your pet.

 
View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment atpasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoptionappointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters byphone calls or email. 


Join us for a Month of Programs and Events! 

The Sierra Madre Public Library has announced the 2023 selection of One Book 
One City; Flying Free: my victory over fear to become the first Latina pilot on 
the US Aerobatic Team by Cecilia Aragon. 

One Book One City is a community reading program that invites everyone in 
Sierra Madre to read and discuss the same book during February 2023 and participate 
in exciting programs and events. 

This fabulous community program includes an Author Talk with Cecilia Aragon, 
a tour of the San Gabriel Valley Airport, a kids STEAM Dream Workshop 
with local teacher Dany Richey, a kids paper airplane competition, a movie 
night with the documentary Fly Like a Girl through our new streaming service 
Kanopy, and inspirational presentations on women in flight. 

Aragon’s memoir, Flying Free, shares her own journey of breaking past her own 
fears to become a champion aerobatic pilot. Aragon was a timid child, painfully 
shy and afraid of everything from heights to people. How did she become 
a death-defying daredevil and aerobatic pilot? In her memoir, she bares her life 
even though writing it “scared me more than pointing my single-seat experimental 
plane at the ground and opening the throttle until I was roaring earthward 
at 250 mph”. 

Connect all month long through engaging themed programs that are free and 
fun for the whole family. Call the Library at (626) 355-7186 for more information. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com