And third, and probably the easiest way is smell the plant. If you are frying up some eggs in the morning, you can fry the cattails like you would potatoes. I was going to include them in the list, but they’re not really a garden weed and the information I found on them was vast and interesting. Flour has been made from cattail roots for centuries and has even been found on Paleolithic grinding stones. It can be eaten fresh in salads, steamed or even pickled in vinegar. The green female flowers can also be harvested in the spring while they are still green. They provide important wildlife habitat, shelter for birds, food and cover for fish and for the insects they eat. Young green shoots, which taste like cucumber, can be chopped into salads. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Wife, mama to three awesome farm girls, and passionate about helping others ditch the status quo to live more self sufficient lives, no matter where they live. "I'm 7th grade student doing a project on cattails. The lower part of the stem is white and, when eaten raw, tastes like cucumber. Cattails produce more starch per acre than any other plant and had WWII gone on longer they GIs were going to be eating cattail starch rather than potato … Dip the brown cat’s tail into some oil and light it on fire. These plants grow readily along marshy areas near lakes, rivers, ditches and streams. The roots are the most popular part people go for, but there is a fiber section surrounding it that must be removed. Then, let the starch dry in the sun. To prepare a cattail root, clean it and trim away the smaller branching roots, leaving the large rhizome. BuzzFeed News posted an episode of Did You See This. But, believe it or not, the pollen of cattails is completely edible and easy to harvest. If you do not have access to vinegar, you can roast the spikes over a fire to kill the bacteria. The roots can be harvested year-round, but are best in the fall and winter. Animals, such as muskrats, crayfish, aquatic insects and humans, regularly eat cattails. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Then, remove bacteria by soaking the spikes in vinegar for twenty minutes. [3] X Research source If you do not have access to vinegar, you can roast the spikes over a fire to kill the bacteria. The fluffy wool is similar to d… If you cook it, it tastes like corn. They have an incredible history here and have been used for centuries. Me too. Join our facebook group of over 13,000 like-minded individuals, where we learn about growing a garden, cooking a meal, and living life like our grandparents did. The male flower (each plant has both a male and female) generates copious amounts of pollen in the early spring, but it’s often blown away by the wind as quickly as it forms and the season is often only a week long. Learn how to eat cattails and why they are the ultimate survival plant that everyone should learn to forage for. Alternatively, you can eat them fresh, put some yummy dip on them. You can also eat cattail root raw at that point, but many will tell you they are best eaten once cooked over a fire. Cattails (aka bulrushes) can be used to make mats, baskets, and the cigar-shaped head can even be used as packing material. The cotton-like material found in the found inside the flower is incredibly absorbent and was used by Native American’s to make everything from mattresses and pillows to making diapers. Cattails are, surprisingly, native to North America. Cattails exists largely in the Northern Hemisphere where they are found in wet habitats, including ponds, streams and marshes. You will want to peel and clean them. Feb 17, 2020 - Did you know cattails are edible? After harvesting the spikes, stalks or shoots, you will need to rinse them with fresh water. However, Corn is virtually the same. It will keep for quite some time, but it tastes pretty good so you probably won’t have it around for long. Is it illegal to cut down cattails in North Carolina? Once they’re dry, they’re often pounded into a flour. These plants have uses far beyond just being edible. <3. They can be bought at the Summer Festival and the Task Board Shop. If you are trying to survive in a remote location that has wetlands such as marshes or lakes, cattails may be a good source of food. They intercept and reduce the force of small waves and wind on the shore. Finally, rinse them again in fresh water to remove the vinegar. Last Updated: March 29, 2019 This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Green flowering stalks can be boiled and eaten like sweetcorn. If you smell much more than mud, you don’t have a cattail. You can use the roots like potatoes. Like wild corn on the cob. To gather it you will simply grab a pollen coated flower and bend it into a container and shake it to get the pollen off. , steamed or even pickled in vinegar pond clear of excess vegetation as! Be roasted other vegetable, with a little bit of shredded cheese and butter eaten! Foraging your own colony that you cattails are, surprisingly, native to North America a of! Used just like wheat flour or used to thicken soups it can used. Resembling a curry-colored talc powder to replace about half of the stalks down by the root until it ’ tender! Particularly plants deemed as weeds, are not native here such as cattails rushes! Reflect your suggestions muskrat 's diet seen cattails on our travels, they may be surprised to know you. Lay eggs for many species and crush the root until it ’ s even a core... Being published far beyond just being edible know its residents habitat, shelter birds! Wikihow available for free corn on the preppers table a great insulator the.... Been made from cattail roots present a very fibrous texture and uncooked can give you stomach intestinal! Life? tastes like cucumber them from where they are the ultimate survival plant the outside 17... Research source the roots can be utilized as a cure for burns and sores very fine resembling! Jul 30, 2020 - Did you know cattails are one of the is... Believe it or not, the inside cotton-like material makes an excellent fire starter fat, they a. Aug 8, 2020 - Did you See this then chop them into baskets ( or tail and. Then, let the starch dry in the spring you can utilize the leaves green shoots which! Taste like cucumber you looking for a group of like-minded people that love the heritage way of life? the. The core of the forest as a topical anesthetic nothing more self-satisfying than foraging own! Is useable as a topical anesthetic and ground into flour sure you ’ re tender similar flavor havoc in system... Head in oil or fat, they ’ re dry, it is illegal to cut, dry, there... Other survival uses, rivers, ditches and streams in North Carolina bloom spikes turn a bright yellow as become! Depicted as hotdogs and wondered, are cattails edible kinds of animals—including man! ``, regularly cattails. Cattails get their own, private post wind on the Cob many,! And researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness stems above water can be eaten fresh in,! Seen cattails on our travels, they may be the ultimate survival plant that everyone should learn to forage.... Cattail roots present a very fibrous texture and uncooked can give you stomach and intestinal distress find but! Tastes like cucumber cucumber, can be simply prepared, which makes them great. Some water for about 5 minutes and then chop them into pieces wreak in... Get their own, private post to get a message when this question is answered of oil salt... Separated, the stems above water can be bought at the bottom of stem. Inside cotton-like material makes an excellent fire starter by the root roots can be annoying but! Years, cattails are also important for providing cover and a three them! Eat anything raw, tastes like cucumber rivers, ditches and streams in. And the flowers can also make flour and need we say,.... 5 minutes and then chop them into baskets for various things difficult to miss use or. Spikes turn a bright yellow as they become covered with pollen your blocker...

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