Cattails Should not be Confused with Bulrushes-Cat-Tails, and Cat-Tail Recipes.

Cattails= A bog or Wetland Supermarket

No green plant produces more edible starch per acre than the Cat Tail; not potatoes, rice, taros or yams. It is claimed that plans were underway to feed Allied soldiers with that starch when WWII stopped. Lichen, (as eaten by Canada’s native caribou) not a green plant, might actually produce more carbs per acre. One acre of cattails can produce 6,475 pounds of flour per year on average (Harrington 1972, no mention is made of whether or not this includes the whole plant or just the spike).

Two Cattail Recipes,  Copied From Another Site: I have left the two recipes exactly as were. Except for spelling, grammar, and terminology, there is, basically, only four things wrong with them:

1. The original author does not explain what leaves; or where to find cattail "shoots"
2. Or, what part of the plant he or she considers to be the "cattail".
3. The deep taproot of burdock, if, dug early in the life of this biennial plant is very edible and Japanese cuisine makes extensive use of it. However,the Japanese use only roots from plants less than one-year-old, since the roots tend to be very woody, if gathered after the fall of the first year and in the second year of growth. The young leaves of burdock are palatable only after two or three changes of boiling water; any less than that, and one is better off throwing away the greens and eating the pot. 
4. In an emergency/survival situation, It is very unlikely that you will have, or be able to find; most of the ingredients-at least not all at the same time.

"Cattails can be use for food, when grown in clean water and soil.

Cattail Stir-fry

Gather your cattail leaves/shoots and pull off the tough/fibrous outer leaves until you reach the tender white inner core of the cattail heart. Wash them thoroughly and cut into roughly 4” pieces. Put a healthy amount of high-heat cooking oil in the bottom of your skillet. Put in your burdock root slices into the hot oil, which are cut diagonally about 1/8” thick, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add chopped spring onion, carrots that have been cut into long strips (julienned), and the chopped burdock petioles. Cook about 3-5 minutes and then add cattail shoots, minced garlic, and minced ginger (you could use a small amount of wild ginger). Cook for about 3 minutes. Then add a few splashes of sesame seed oil, some black sesame seeds, chopped red cabbage, some finely chopped wild greens (we used sow thistle greens) and a lot of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos/soy sauce/tamari/shoyu. Cover and let cook for about a minute. Serve with Nettle/Sesame Powder sprinkled on top.

Cattail-Wild Rice Pilaf

This recipe can be made with brown rice, but the wild rice adds a special dimension to it.

1 cup dry wild rice (4 cups cooked)

2 Tbsp sesame oil

½ cup chopped green onion

2 cups cattail shoots, sliced (about 30 cattails)

2 tsp salt

½ cup slivered almonds

1. Cook the wild rice until tender.

2. Sautee onion and cattail shoots in sesame oil until tender and translucent.

3. Mix the rice and the sautéd cattail shoots and onion together.

4. Add salt and slivered almonds.

5. Serve hot."

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CAT-TAILS ARE NOT also known(correctly, that is) as bulrushes, in any part of the world; which is just another example of very common American fictation, or, if you prefer, misconception; or misinformation; in any case, a prime example of the FACT that many "American experts"do not have  the "first clue" about what they think they are talking about: 
"Everybody knows what a CAT-TAIL looks like. There is hardly a marsh wetland, or body of water, brackish or fresh, that does not play host to this hot-dog-on a stick-looking plant."

Whoops, problem; while it is commonly harvested and can even be used in some similar ways,"the hot- dog on a stick" shown above is not a Cat-tail.

Cat-tails-pictured below are regarded by many of these experts(again, very incorrectly I might add) as one of the 4 indigenous, native plants, that could save your life. Grass (No known grass is poisonous), Oak, Pine, and Cat-tail; many misinformed, or unknowing, would be, survivors, will claim that knowing just these four plants can make the difference between life and death, if stranded in the wilds–for each one is an excellent food source which can sustain you until help arrives.

This part is true, but, as always, there is a but; oak is not found in all parts of Canada or the Americas. So, there are only a fantastic three; or so these same people might now believe.

Fact is, most deciduous (aspen poplar, birch, willow) and coniferous trees (pine spruce)offer nutritional benefits and can save your life; if you know about-and how-to use them.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT  THE BULRUSHES-PICTURED BELOW.

Although; as this posting clearly shows, and as you can now plainly see; they do not look the same, the main method of propagation is not the same, and they obviously,are not the same; Cat Tails (pictured above) are sometimes ,very, very, very, incorrectly, called Bulrushes (pictured below); even by THOSE WHO KNOW, or SHOULD KNOW BETTER, including dictionaries and encyclopaedias.   

     The bulrushes, pictured above, are not cat-tails.

However, they can be used; for food, in much the same ways as cat-tails. They are also used to weave hats, mats[the roots are source of black dye], and even to build boats--they are an essential part of the Bible.

SEE BULRUSHES: http://cookingforsurvival--yourdownbutnotout.blogspot.ca/2011/07/bulrushes-should-not-be-confused-with.html

Cat-tails

             Cat-tails are known to invade a wetland much faster than bulrushes, taking over large expanses in a single growing season because of their mass quantities of water and wind-borne seeds. In growing season, cat-tails are more water dependent than bulrushes.
This is another plant of which basically every part can be eaten and which will ensure your survival if you are ever lost in the North Country.            
           Known to most cultures; they have been used as a food source for thousands of years. Young plant shoots are eaten like celery and taste very similar to asparagus. The young "cat-tail" is boiled and tastes like corn, while later the yellow pollen is used as flour. The roots, and root shouts are boiled and are very good eating. Below the shoots are the cat-tail potatoes, not as good as the shoots, but are still passable fair; and flour may be made from the roots.

            Depending on location, elevation, and so forth, cat-tails grow almost everywhere that there is shallow, muddy water. They are easy to get to, usually, and early cultures world wide knew long ago that they were very good to eat. Until around June, the part of the plant that is most looked for is the green flower spike (which later turns brown as it matures.) Cut these off with a sharp knife and peel off any leaves that surround the spike. 

To those who have been wandering: the little squares appearing before the following recipes replace my initials in the original book (from recipes and  manuscripts I wrote or developed while working in Canada's Arctic.-published 1995.

 Recipe 1 (veggie): To prepare, place the spikes in a pot of lightly salted water and bring to a boil, cooking for about 1/2 to 1 hour the more spikes there are the longer they need to cook.) Serve hot, with butter, and eat like corn on the cob. This recipe was very popular with both kids and the adults, when I was cooking at Camp Gardner (a Boy Scout Camp) in Bragg Creek Alberta. The taste is delightful.

Recipe 2 (veggie) Dig several of the tuberous potatoes, which are usually fairly shallow, just under the mud. Wash well, then peel like you would real potatoes. Boil in lightly salted water, just as with potatoes, or bake in an oven until tender. Serve with butter. This is a good potato substitute with a very good flavour.

Recipe 3 (flour): Gather a number of the potatoes and roots, wash well. Boil in water until very tender (1-1/2 hours), then crush in the pot. Strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth, transferring the liquid back to the pot or into another one. Heat slowly until the water is evaporated. This should leave powdery starches that can be used with or instead of flour. The flour is very similar to potato or corn starch and used alone it produces a sort of unleavened flat bread.

Pancakes

Method

            Use either the pollen or flour above, and your favourite pancake recipe. For every cup of regular flour that the recipe calls for, cut that in half and add an equal amount of cat-tail pollen flour. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, use 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cat-tail flour, or pollen.

© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.