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The Useful Cattail by Brian in Pennsylvania
For those of you who are awake and aware of the fact that our current lifestyle is about to change in a big way, this information should appeal to you. I would like to take the time to present some information that might not be known to everyone. This article is about the Cattail. That humble plant that some people go to great lengths to rid themselves of. That is foolish in the extreme in light of the coming collapse. A person that had a pond with cattails growing thick around the perimeter, or access to one, should consider themselves extremely wealthy. They can provide many things in all stages of their growth and are easily sustainable by replanting some of the seeds. In fact, if there are suitable places for them to grow near you, bur you don’t see them there, you can take a seed head from another area and establish your own cattail garden. Apart from the uses for the cattail itself, they provide great cover for ducks and geese. (yum)
They are found in most areas of North America, so finding them in non-desert, non-mountainous areas should be relatively easy. There are multiple varieties. If you look around, there are probably some growing nearby. They are easy to identify, as no other plant produces that brown seed head that all cattails do. There are similar looking plants that can grow in close proximity, but none have that seed head. As a word of caution though, if you are not sure then don’t eat it. Some of the broad leafed grasses that grow on the edges of ponds are poisonous.
If ever there was a truly year round plant, it is the cattail. You can obtain something from them in every season, even in winter if you can get through the ice to the roots. In spring, once the shoots are above the water line, you can dig and collect the new shoots coming off the roots. Peel, boil and eat. A bit later, late spring/early summer, the pollen spikes form and are edible. They can be boiled or eaten raw. They get 8 – 10 inches long and taste somewhat like corn. There are male and female parts, both are edible. In summer, the male parts (on top of the seed head) will start to produce pollen. This can be knocked off and used as flour, or mixed in to extend your flour storage. In late summer to early fall, (and all the way back to spring), the time is right to get the most amount of food. The roots can be dug up boiled, and eaten as such, or the starch can be extracted and used as flour. The root is dug, washed and peeled, then they are broken up underwater either by hand or between clean stones to release the starch from the root fibers. The excess water can be (carefully) poured off and the remainder dried out leaving flour. Cattail flour contains gluten so it will hold together well in pancakes, cornbread, etc.
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