Cattails

[Dave223]

hey guys,
 Kinda new here, I wanted to share something with you. I had a long post ready to type about the values of cattails for survival but I found a link instead that had more info about them than I did. Heck, I even learned something.
 One thing i didnt see mentioned was that the brown "flower" on top was a good insulator from the cold when stuffed in your clothes or under a blanket. Its also good tendrer for getting fires started!
  Anyhow heres the link, just scroll down until you see the header "Cattails". 

http://corditecountryshownotes.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/31409/

[Swampman]

They don't taste too bad.

[Dave223]

Ive eaten them on occasion and they really are good, bring salt!
 We also eat thistle, the big flowery plants that grow out in the pastures. They are good when cut up with vinegar and salt.

[The Hermit]

I am patiently waiting for my first mess of dandelion greens. Got sick once on cattails, not sure why.



The Hermit

[Oldshooter]

Never knew you could eat cattails. We talking the stems or the brown tails or both?

[Dave223]

The brown part at the top is sorta like a dandelion if disturbed, really light and downy. It works awesome as tinder for a fire when dry. The part we always ate was down near the root. I only had it once though.
 

[Dee]

The root is starchy and much like a potato. You can eat it raw, or boil it like potatoes, and can even dry it and make flour out of it, and you can also fry it.

[tacklebury]

Yah, they kinda have a cucumberish taste too.  Yuk.  one veggie I don't like, but I've eaten the tubers when performing under survival training before.  I usually try to boil them if I have something to do it in. 

[dogsoldier0513]

the tender inner shoots taste like a cross between cabbage and cucumber and can be eaten raw.  The young, green pollen heads can be boiled and eaten like corn.  The roots, when harvested during the winter time can be cleaned, frozen, and while frozen, pounded to separate the starch from the fibrous root material.  The resulting 'flour' can be used as-is for a flour substitute or mixed with existing flour to 'stretch' it.

[JeffG]

Cattail tubers are good!  Bring salt, butter!

I am patiently waiting for my first mess of dandelion greens.

My grandmother taught me to improve the taste of dandelion greens by placing a bucket over a big clump of them for 3-4 days.  They lose their color because of the lack of sunlight, and get more pale in color like lettuce.

[Ron 1]

wouldnt this be a good one for the wild editables form 
i never knew one could eat cat tails! calico or tabbys?
   rw