Cattail Root
Posted by Youkaiyami on May 30, 2009 · Member since Dec 2008 · 63 posts
I know it's edible and I know of some places I can harvest it. But I was wondering if anyone has tried it. I've been told it tastes like cucumber by some, and potatoes by others.
What do you think?
You can eat cattail root? :o
No, but seriously...sounds cool. I am surprised. Go for it.
Yeah, you'd be surprised of how many things out there you can eat.
Dandelion,rose hips, day lily flowers, young fiddlehead ferns(must be eaten when they are tightly curled), many more things, I'd have to look them up.
I know it's edible and I know of some places I can harvest it. But I was wondering if anyone has tried it. I've been told it tastes like cucumber by some, and potatoes by others.
What do you think?
I have eaten them plenty of times. The difficult part is getting them while they are edible, so make sure they are white and well cleaned. They are high in carbs and I've used them as a substitute while camping for pasta. In the spring the young shoots are a real treat. Don't strip a pond bare though, these plants are essential for nesting places for several animals. If you are lucky enough to live where you can grown your own consult a naturalist for the right flow and depth of water to plant.
The brown tufts at the top also make for good natural tinder and can be stuffed between two pairs of socks as insulation.
Now I have to figure out if I can get to my cousin's farm an hour south of here without using up more gas than I'm comfortable with. ;)
That's not very vegan to eat something called "cattail". Just kiddin'.
Don't eat them when the cattails are brown and gross. j/s
I myself have only worked w/ the early shoots (which are so fun to pull up and nibble on and taste good in salads). The shoots aren't available right now, but I do know that cattails are practically edible year-round. Here's a full article of information, for this season or the next (the text is a bit garbled but you should still be able to get most of the info- scroll towards the bottom-ish, where you'll find the most info): http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Cattails.html
In my experience, they taste best when baked whole, or shredded and fried like hashbrowns!