Cattail
A quick intro
Cattail grows in the water and the juicy shoots that come up around April are edible and very tasty. We have a patch of it growing just next to our land and every spring we harvest some of it for the CSA boxes. We leave enough so that it can regrow vigorously. Once harvested and peeled the cattail shoots look like leeks but the taste reminds much more of cucumber.
Storage
Cattail stores for a few days in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.
Season
Spring
Suggestions for preparation
The outer green layers of the plants are too fibrous to eat but the cream coloured crunchy heart is what cattail is all about. Peel of any fibrous parts and use the heart in a stir-fry, an omelette, grilled whole on the BBQ or in soups. Cattail can be eaten raw as well but we’ve read that some people can experience a tingling sensation on the tongue (we didn’t) so taste-test first.
Recipes
See the recipe at the bottom of this page for Pickled cattail shoots
Soup with cattail and tortellini and nettle (this recipe also uses fiddle heads but those can be left out)
Cattails with a mushroom & cream sauce
Rice pilaf with cattail shoots and mushrooms
Add cattail to this simple miso soup
Practice your wok skills and use the cattails in a stir-fry