Now this is a taste treat! In mid March to mid April, cattails start sending up their leaves in spikes through wetland soil. I find them easy to collect. I have this favorite pair of scissors with thin sharp blades that help me spear and slice under the soil to capture as much of the crisp white shoots as possible. I can be found crouched in the swamp in my waterproof boots knuckle deep in the wetness harvesting the first spires of spring in the wicked cold. Today the snow was flying. I had to laugh. Who does this! But hey, free food! And it IS gourmet!
To harvest, I cut below the soil level and then peel off the outer leaves and snip of the top green tough part right there in the swamp. That means I have less to do back in my kitchen. At my sink, I wash off the shoots and peel off any tough leafs. What’s left is tender and crisp, with a delicate flavor reminiscent of cucumbers.
Tonight I got my husband Jim’s stamp of approval with this cattail salad recipe. He ate all the leftovers. That just makes me happy. So here’s the recipe. I need to get better at keeping records of how much I put of what. I’m new to this blogging thing so I’m a bit rough. Here goes.
Ingredients: all those cattail shoots in the photo cut on the diagonal, a large handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half, 4 ramps white and pale green parts finely chopped, two hefty sprigs of fresh mint finely chopped, 2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Mix this all together and serve. It’s enough for two.
You can eat that? 