Thread: Urtica ferox / ongaonga /tree nettle

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

no - native ongaonga (urtica ferox ) highly likely different plant -ongaonga grows up to 3 metres and can be in big groves metres wide --there is a small nettle I call english nettle - grows only about 250cm quite often on banks or wasteland as a weed - that can be eaten apparently - maybe like puha needs to be washed and sap gently squeezed out - one of those people who forage for edible weeds will likely know

looked it up for you botanical folks - our big stinging nettle native to NZ is Urtica Ferox onga onga -the small edible nettle is Urtica Urens introduced from Europe there ya go -ya learn something dumb every day - nah just fucken bored no driving on hay silage to wet

We ate a ton of stinging nettle in Nepal. Was on a 6 week trek in the early 1980's and the porters were sent out each evening with a basket on their heads and a stick with a fork split into the end. They would snap the stinging nettle off at ground level with the stick, and shake it off into the basket. Boiled up it tasted like fish soup.

As a shrub it stung like buggery, just like ours does.

Originally Posted by XR500

We ate a ton of stinging nettle in Nepal. Was on a 6 week trek in the early 1980's and the porters were sent out each evening with a basket on their heads and a stick with a fork split into the end. They would snap the stinging nettle off at ground level with the stick, and shake it off into the basket. Boiled up it tasted like fish soup.

As a shrub it stung like buggery, just like ours does.

yeah apparently the stingy bits on the edible variety's are made harmless during cooking - but our big onga onga not edible - well ya can try it -let us all know thats if ya not feeling to crook

Dam i nearly walked in to a patch of ongaonga in the Whirinaki's if it wasn't for Rushy i would have walked though it

Originally Posted by Dynastar27

Dam i nearly walked in to a patch of ongaonga in the Whirinaki's if it wasn't for Rushy i would have walked though it

I remember that.

Originally Posted by Rushy

I remember that.

Anyone who walks into a patch of onga tends to remember it!!