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As a lover of nature, and more specifically, wild edibles, I am constantly amazed at the versatility of our native crops. There are so many wild edibles that are underutilized, but perhaps the most unappreciated and most widespread is the humble cattail. The cattail is useful for other things, such as rope, stuffing for pillows and mattresses, and of course, as weaving material, but in this article, I'm going to focus on the cattail's use as a wild edible.
You can't gather cattails without knowing what they look like, so I'll give you a description of them. The roots look like spaghetti, coming from the thick rootstocks, which are filled with white starchy fibres. The rootstocks come from a cattail that is already established, and they have a pointy sprout, or shoot, on the end. The swordlike leaves emerge in early spring, and are pale green in color. The stems appear later with a female flower head, which is green at first, but turns brown later. Above this is the male flower spike, which emerges from a papery sheath and is green at first, but turns yellow with pollen later on in the season. The male flower usually falls off, leaving the familiar female flower head all season. The cattail is familiar to most people, and is found across North America and in many other parts of the world as well. It thrives in shallow water, and is usually found at the edge of lakes, streams, ditches, rivers, ponds, and in swampy areas. It is best to observe them for a year or so before harvesting and note the dates that all the edible parts are available, and also to make sure you don't mistake other plants for the cattail. If at any time you are in doubt or feel you may have the wrong plant, DON'T HARVEST IT! I can't stress this enough. A good field guide is a valuable asset.
Here is a list of the edible parts of the plant by season:
Spring: Shoots-The pointy end of the rootstock can be peeled to the tender white core, eaten raw in salads, or cooked for fifteen minutes or so like asparagus. Before they erupt through the surface of the mud, the shoots can be peeled, boiled, and pickled in hot vinegar.
Rootstock-The enlarged area of the rootstock just below the shoot can be cooked like a potato or eaten raw in salads. This can be done in late fall, winter, and early spring.
Stalks-Pull upward on the young cluster of leaves that are no more than three feet tall to get the tender white stalks of the cattails. This can be used much the same way as the shoots.
Male Flower Spikes-In late spring and early summer, you can find the male flower spikes erupting from their papery sheaths above the sausage-like female flower heads.
Cook these as you would corn on the cob in salted water. Smother in butter and eat it straight off the stem like corn on the cob.
Summer: Male Flower Spikes-These reach maturity over a six week period, and so are available through late spring to early summer. See spring.
Pollen-The bright yellow pollen is found on the mature male flower spikes. It can be collected by shaking the spike into a plastic bag or over an open container. After being run through a sieve, this makes an excellent, protein-rich flour. It resists wetting, so it is
easier to use if mixed half and half with wheat flour. You can use this in any of your recipes that call for regular flour.
Fall: Rootstocks-The highly nutritious rootstocks can be used as flour, too. There are two methods of obtaining the flour. The first is to pound the peeled rootstocks in a pail of water, allow the starch to settle to the bottom, and then dump off the water. Repeating this process a few times will result in a high quality flour that can be used wet or that can be dried and stored for later use. The other method is to dry the peeled rootstock and then
pound it to release the starch. You then sift out the fibres. This is the best method if you wish to store the flour.
Rootstocks-The enlarged part of the rootstock where the shoots are attached can be used for potatoes or in salad at this time. See spring.
Shoots-The pointy ends on the rootstock can be used in salad or as asparagus at this time. See spring.
Winter: Rootstocks-The enlarged part of the rootstock where the shoots are attached can be used for potatoes or in salad at this time. See spring.
Rootstock-The rootstock can be used for flour at this time. See fall.
Shoots-The pointy ends on the rootstock can be used in salad or as asparagus at this time. See spring.
As you can see, the inherent usefulness of cattails as a food source is boundless. They can be used year-round, and are highly nutritious. I personally think that the cattail will soon be recognized as an invaluable asset to a world where population is increasing even as farmland is decreasing. Cattails are so useful, so bountiful, so easily recognized, and so easy to harvest, that they will someday be a staple in many people's diets.
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