Cattail

Cattails is easily recognizable, and commonly grows in full sun areas at the margins of lakes, streams, canals, rivers, and brackish water. Cattails have strap-like, pointed leaves, with parallel veins, resemble other wetland plants, but last year’s stalks provide positive identification, which are white, dense, furry, cigar-shaped overwintered seed heads standing atop very long, stout stalks, even as the young shoots first emerge in early spring. When in doubt, look for the dead cattail plants from the previous year which should be profuse in any enduring stand.

Every part of the Cattail has uses. It ís easy to harvest, very tasty, and highly nutritious. It was a major staple for the American Indians, who found it in such great supply, they didn’t need to cultivate it.

Before the flower forms, the shoots prized as “Cossackís asparagus” in Russia are fantastic. You can peel and eat them raw or cooked well into the summer. When the cattail is immature and still green, you can boil the female portion and eat it like corn on the cob, and in the spring, pollen from the male flowers is often abundant, bright yellow and can be used as a flour substitute.

The rhizome or root, which can be harvest year round (although it is often very tough), is a very rich source of starch. Pulverizing the rhizome is the easiest way to remove the starch and use it as a flour.

Other uses for the Cattail include: Using the dried leaves for weaving material, the cottony seeds can be used for pillow stuffing and insulation, the fluff makes an excellent tinder, the dried Cattails make an effective insect repellent when burned, the stems can be soaked in cold water to remove the starch and then the water rendered to make a starch paste, and the leaves, which swell when wet, can be used for caulking cracks in barrels and boats.

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post