Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Cattail.
Another staple of indigenous peoples, cattails are still used for food throughout the
world. Find cattails in shallow waters of swampy areas. You can dig up roots in early spring to
find delicious sprouts that can be eaten raw. Young summer stalks, up to 2 to 3 feet tall, may be
peeled for their tasty core (known as “Cossack asparagus”), which is eaten raw, steamed, or
boiled. Young buds can be picked before pollen ripens and boiled like mini corn on the cob.
Roots can be harvested in the fall through spring. Dig, dry, and peel, and then pound into flour.
Pounded roots may be soaked and then decanted to render starchy material. Poisonous look-
alikes are the stalks and roots of wild irises, so be sure to identify stalks by the presence of old
cattails. Pollens can be harvested as a flour or flour extender.
Figure 7-12. Cattail.
Chicory.
Like its close relative the dandelion, chicory is a staple green in many countries
and has a long taproot. When young, the leaves look like dandelion leaves with the addition of
irregular hairs on most of the leaves. When it matures, the resemblance to the dandelion disap-
pears as it grows a tall hairy flower stalk with numerous sky-blue fringed flowers. Widespread,
chicory is found in fields and other disturbed areas. Harvest leaves and shoots early in spring.
Older leaves may require boiling and water changes, if bitter. The taproot is rather bitter, but
makes a good caffeine-free coffee substitute when roasted at 250°F for two to four hours until
brown, and then ground.
