CATTAILS - THE WONDER FOOD
THE SUPERMARKET OF THE POND
Bulrush, also known as cattail are edible plants found all over North America, growing along ponds, lakes, and quite often, along the water traps of your neighborhood golf course.
The plant is often championed by survival experts because various parts can be eaten throughout the year, earning it the name of “Supermarket of the Pond”. Different parts of the plant are best eaten at different times of the year. The young shoots, flowers, and pollen are best enjoyed in the spring, whereas the stalks and roots are best enjoyed in the fall.
The yellow cattail pollen can be collected from the male cattail flowers to make cattail flour. Grind and sift the flour and store it in a cool, dry place, then use it in tandem with wheat flour to bake breads and cakes.
Cattail roots: The cattail roots, aka rhizomes, which grow in a horizontal pattern, are best eaten in the fall or winter. To prepare cattail roots, clean them with cool water, then trim off the small offshoots of the main rhizome. They can be grilled, baked, or boiled. After you’ve fully cooked cattail roots, you can eat them like the outer leaves of an artichoke—pull the flesh away from the fibrous root with your teeth.
Cattail shoots: Harvest the young shoots of cattails in the spring. Peel away the outer leaves to reveal a tender, white shoot. You can sauté or stir-fry the shoots or even eat them raw. They have a flavor akin to cucumbers.
Cattail flowers: Harvest female flowers while they’re still green, before pollination. They can be grilled or boiled and eaten with butter and salt, just like corn on the cob. Once they turn their characteristic brown color, they are no longer good for eating.
If you do try to eat the brown pollinated cattail flowers, all you get is a mouthful of fluff that tastes crappy but that fluff can be used as an insulation material. Baskets can be woven with the reeds.
Care must be taken to ensure that their water supply is fresh and not contaminated. Any plant growing in polluted water can accumulate lead and pesticide residues in its roots, which should not be eaten.
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