Cattail

During one of my Alaskan summers (1985?), my aunt bought me a copy of Wild Edible and Poisonous Plants of Alaska and I’ve been interested in “eating wild” ever since. My most daring consumption was probably identifying and then eating wild mushrooms while living in the Sierra backcountry. I survived, obviously.

I’ve never eaten cattail, but according to my book, “in late autumn and early winter the short thickened leading shoots of the underground rootstock are filled with starchy material. In the past western Indians have used these shoots as a source of food, eaten either boiled or roasted. In Russia on the Don the stems are collected, the first 18 inches just above the rootstock, and peeled and eaten raw. The green flower spikes have also been recommended as food. They should be collected before the yellow pollen shows. They are boiled in salted water. They can be eaten by scraping off the flowers or by eating much as we do corn on the cob.”


Dress, Ella Moss. Belt, Sugadaminka. Shoes, Miss Me. Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Necklace, World Market. Bag, Charming Charlie.