The Amazing Cattail

                                                           
I have really gotten interested in foraging lately and one plant that can be harvested at different times throughout the year is the cattail.  It really is a plant for all seasons.  Below I have listed some facts and interesting things that can be done with this wonderful plant.

 Name: Cattail (Typha)
Plant Group: Monocot
Plant Family:  Typhaceae

Places to find Cattails:  On the edges of ponds, lakes, marshes, and rivers or any place where water is. I harvested mine beside a local creek near my home.

Poisonous Lookalikes: Wild Iris- Yellow Flag, Blue Flag.  One easy way to identify the difference is the fact that the cattail has the brown seed spike.


The cattail is a go to plant for any survivalist because of it's many uses.  As a food plant cattails are unbeatable because with each new season brings a different way to use these plants.

How To Pull Up The Cattail


Now that you have identified the cattail, it's time to march out into the muck and pull out the food.  most of the time you cannot simply pull at the base of the cattail and out pops a perfect rhizome.  Your best bet is to first loosen up the rhizomes before pulling the plant out.

To do this, follow your hand down the stalk of the cattail until you reach the base.  Then begin to guide your hand down from the base into the mud until you can feel one of the rhizomes branches shooting out to one side.  Here is where you will push and pull the rhizome until it loosens up a bit.  Do this with the other side and then grab the base of the stalk and pull up hard.  You should be able to pull out a good length of rhizome on each side of the base.

Early Spring


In early spring dig up the roots and locate the small pointed shoots called corms.  These can be removed, peeled, and eaten, added to other spring greens for a salad, or cooked in stews or alone as a pot herb.  As the plant growth progresses and the plant shoots reach a height of two to three feet above the water you can peel and eat these like the corm, or saute them.  When you cook them like this it is also known as Cossack Asparagus because the Russians love eating the plant this way.

Late Spring To Early Summer

At about this time the the green female bloom spikes and the male pollen spikes begin to emerge.  These tasty spikes can be found in the center of the plant and form a cylindrical projection that can only be detected when you are close to the plant.  Peel back the leaves in the way that you would go about shucking corn and both the male portion above and the female below can be seen.  The female portion will later form into the familiar brown "cattail" from which it is named.  When fully developed the male part will become the dried out portion found on the top of the cattail.  Both the male and female portions can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob, and both are very delicious! They have a flavor that is similar to corn but at the same time very distinct from corn and both parts can also be eaten raw.

Mid to Late Summer


At around this time the male pollen head will turn a bright yellow as they become covered with pollen. Put a large plastic bag over the head and shake. The pollen is very fine and resembles curry colored Talcum powder  So abundant that several pounds of this can be collected in less than an hour!  This pollen can be substituted for a small amount of the flour or cornmeal in different recipes such as pancakes or even cornbread.  The pollen can also be used for thickeners or flour extenders in breads or cakes or anything you can imagine!  I tried to harvest my own this year but I was not successful because I waited a little to late in the season.  Better luck next year:(

Late Summer To Early Fall


At this time of the year the Cattail is pretty easy to identify. You will want to look for what looks like a hot dog on a stick.Sometimes that "hot dog" or seed head will begin breaking apart looking like a bunch of fuzz on the end of a stick. In late summer the tender inner portions of leaf stalk can still be collected but the availability of the Cossack Asparagus begins to dwindle down because of the toughening of the plant.  During this period all the way into Early Spring , the best way to harvest this plant is to use the root starch during this season.  To extract the flour or starch from the cattail roots:

1.  Collect the cattail roots, wash, and then peel them.

2.  Break up the roots under a bowl of water and the flour will begin to separate from the fibers.  Continue this process until all the sweet flour is separated from the fibers.

3.  Remove the fibers and drain off the excess water.

4.  Allow the slurry to dry by placing near a fire or by simply using the sun to dry it.

Cattail flour also contains gluten that is the constituent in wheat flour that allows flours to rise in yeast breads.

Did You Know?


The Iroquois Indians would mash the roots and boil them to produce a fine syrup which they used in cornmeal pudding and to sweeten other dishes.  Some Indians burned the Mature brown "Cattail"  head to extract the seeds from the fluff, which in turn was used in gruels and stews.


Medicinal and Other Uses for The Amazing Cattail


Medicinal Uses


-Cattails can be used to make poultices by simply using the split and bruised roots and applying them to cuts.

-the ash of the burned cattail leaves can be used as an antiseptic or styptic for wounds

-A small drop of the honey like excretion, often found near the base of the plant can be used as an antiseptic for small wounds or toothaches.

Other Uses


-The seed head and the dried leaves can be used for tinder to start a fire.

-The seed head fluff can be used to make pillow and bed stuffing and used to insulate clothing as well.

-The leaves can be woven together for the seats and backs of chairs which has been a traditional use for thousands of years.  They can even be woven into baskets, hats, and even beds!

-The dried "Cattail" part of the plant still attached to it's stalk can be dipped into animal fat or oil and used as torches!

Some recipes to try with your recently harvested cattail plant

Recipes


Cattail Fried Rice


1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup peeled and chopped cattail shoots
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup onion chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the cattails, onions, and garlic and saute for five minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the rice is hot.  Stir often to prevent sticking.

Serves 4

Cat-On-The Cob With Garlic Butter


30-40 Cattail flower heads, peeled
1/2 cup Garlic butter

Boil the cattail flower heads in boiling water for ten minutes.  Drain the flower heads and slather them good with garlic butter and eat them just like miniature corn on the cob

Fish and Cattails


2 quarts Cattail shots or young stems
3-4 fish fillets (bass, trout, or any fish of your liking)
salt and pepper to taste

In spring dig the cattails shoots or into late spring or summer pick the green new stems, wash and set aside.
Filet your fish and lay them in a skillet, cover them with the cattails then add a couple cups of water and cover.  steam for five to ten minutes depending on the mass of the fish, salt and pepper to your taste and sprinkle with a little red pepper flakes.  Serve and enjoy!


Foraging for food in the wild is actually alot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone.  You never realize how much food is out there that is free and is just as delicious as the food you buy in the grocery store. Put this on your too do list..

Have a wonderful day and hope you to will try some cattail soon!

mommamarler