Nettle farmers
It's not that bad, really. Them folks, who gather the bog nettle have it much worse than us. I don't envy the mosquittos.
Characteristic
One of the main fiber plants in the mountainous region of Gáláwá are the numerous varieties of nettles. Nettle farmers are people responsible for their well-being. They keep the nutrients coming to maximize the crops. They keep the water flowing when the season is dry. They are responsible for the harvest when the fiber is ready.
As nettle is the most abundant fiber plant, particularly in the mountainous regions like Gáláwá, the nettle fabric makes for a staple textile. In fact, it comes to no surprize that people are so used to the look of the end product, that they tend to forget how much hard work had to be put to make it possible.
Different nettles, different skills
Nettle farming is not only about blisters. It is a dedication of ones heart, sweat and tears to the cause. There are no honours, the pay is poor, but even so, one can strike more or less luck, depending on the variety of nettles they will be currently working with.
Mountain stream nettle
Mountain variety is the easiest and the most pleasent to work with. The habitat is the vicinity of cold streams and vast open spaces, even though there not as much soil and nutrients. This is a tricky part as well — it means the amount of work with mountain stream nettles is pretty limited. And because the plants needs time to mature, one has to pick the right time. Given the weather in mountains is somewhat unpredictable, treating to it is very time consuming. High staina is also a must — the nettles prefer higher parts of the streams, so going back and forth would drain a typical lowlander.
Hill nettle
Hill nettle farmers need to be able to work in full sun most time of the year and show ability to multitask. Hill nettle grows the fastest among other varieties, which means it can be harvested several times a year. In the same time, when one will watch the plants regrowing, the retting process will need to be supervised the whole time. The autumn harvest season is the most demanding as one would need to watch the crops, attend to retting and seperate fiber from the spring crops.
Meadow nettle
Meadow nettles are flimsy and require gentle hands. Since they have barely to no stingy needles, they are usually given to more clever and careful farmers, but almost never to children — the material is too valiable. Meadow nettle farmers keep the variety of herbs to keep nettles company. It is said that only then they produce neat and glistening fabric. Thus, meadow nettle farming demands a mix of interpersonal and observation skills. And above all else — gentle hands. The stems break easily and the fiber is not as strong as in other varieties. A particular pest of the meadow nettles is the Cymrian otter, which loves to nap in the young meadow nettles and herbs — as a result the stalks get deformed and the processing is much more tiresome.
Bog nettle
To harvest bog nettle one needs strength, good health and perseverance. The conditions in which the bog nettle grows are harsh to say the least. High humidity is a perfect breeding ground for mosquittos and the waters are often inhabited by leeches. The rash is not the worst thing about the bites, each can give one a sickness or two. The springs and autumns are chilly, while the summers are stuffy.
To top that, the nettles have very tough and branched stems, so a good knife is a must. Cuts and blisters are guaranteed. The dark green dye will not come off for weeks and turn greenish brown to soil-brown. A huge positive is that the fiber will serve a good time for the Cymrian fishermen, who will give good price for the thread to make or repair their nets. It is said that before the Flooding of the Topaz Cavern and the nearby meadows, bog nettle was very rare in Gáláwá and its usefulness for nets unknown. It was not until the visit of a traveller named Broc, that Gáláwans understood the value of this plant.
Stain and pain
Not only the hands are stained with the green dye from the leaves and stalks, but the stings make the hands tough and sensitive in the same time. During harvest the hands are seen to turn green, then brownish, until they seme like forever dirty. It is difficult to distinguish those who farm nettles from those, who keep their hygiene on a low profile. Gáláwans sometimes joked by everyone that their hands are not dirty, they are just busy harvesting nettles.
Butterflies — the greatest enemy
Nettle can grow pretty much everywhere and can withstand a lot, even physically, but as every living creature it too has the great enemy — butterflies. Nettle farmers looks for their first signs, because even a single bug can turn into a potential disaster. The caterpilars are extremely glutonous. A handful can eat away the leaves of an acre in a matter of hours.
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