Cattail Root

I have read that it tastes like potato. Has anyone ever boiled them (or munched on it raw)?

I'm going to pull some this summer and try them

Let us know how the taste. I've never had them, or course, I'm new to the whole idea of foraging.

I haven't done a lot of foraging either.

Wild greens and berries are about it.

Cattail roots are composed of two distinct portions, the older, starchier portion and the new growth tips. The starchy portion is best peeled and dried to be ground for flour, or, it can be peeled and the starchy interior washed out into a bucket of clean water, where it will settle to the bottom in what will appear to be a lump of gooey flour. Use the flour as you would any whole grain flour.

The growth tips are a different story. They are tender and crunchy, perfect raw or in a salad. There will be several on a mature cattail plant.

While foraging the cattail, it would be criminal to overlook the yellow pollen that gathers on the young spike in late spring. That pollen can be shaken from the spike flower into a bucket (you may need to sift a few bugs and flower portions from the resultant powder) and used, again, like any whole grain flour.
Both types of cattail flower are best mixed with grain flour for such as pancakes and heavier breads.
The young green spike can be steamed like corn on the cob and eaten the same. The very young and tender leaves can be used for salad or pot herb as well, and are quite bland.
Cattail pollen is rather tasty compared to the other more bland portions of the plant, but if you have a swamp or pond full of cattails close by, there will no excuse for starvation.

I would love to take part in foraging cattails at some point !
The Base at the bottom of the stalk is good for eating, and contain starch. The root is heavy in starch, and the sprouts in cold months before they become stalks are a bit like brussle sprouts witha cucumber like flavor.
Also, the pollen is supposed to be great for flour.

Forerunner wrote:Cattail roots are composed of two distinct portions, the older, starchier portion and the new growth tips. The starchy portion is best peeled and dried to be ground for flour, or, it can be peeled and the starchy interior washed out into a bucket of clean water, where it will settle to the bottom in what will appear to be a lump of gooey flour. Use the flour as you would any whole grain flour.

The growth tips are a different story. They are tender and crunchy, perfect raw or in a salad. There will be several on a mature cattail plant.

While foraging the cattail, it would be criminal to overlook the yellow pollen that gathers on the young spike in late spring. That pollen can be shaken from the spike flower into a bucket (you may need to sift a few bugs and flower portions from the resultant powder) and used, again, like any whole grain flour.
Both types of cattail flower are best mixed with grain flour for such as pancakes and heavier breads.
The young green spike can be steamed like corn on the cob and eaten the same. The very young and tender leaves can be used for salad or pot herb as well, and are quite bland.
Cattail pollen is rather tasty compared to the other more bland portions of the plant, but if you have a swamp or pond full of cattails close by, there will no excuse for starvation.

Thanks so much for your response !! I was looking it up when I first viewed the original post.
I hope some day to really get out there and do it.I need to drive a little North of here, to take advantage.
This year I did forage fiddleheads - oh my were they good !

Forerunner wrote:Cattail roots are composed of two distinct portions, the older, starchier portion and the new growth tips. The starchy portion is best peeled and dried to be ground for flour, or, it can be peeled and the starchy interior washed out into a bucket of clean water, where it will settle to the bottom in what will appear to be a lump of gooey flour. Use the flour as you would any whole grain flour.

The growth tips are a different story. They are tender and crunchy, perfect raw or in a salad. There will be several on a mature cattail plant.

While foraging the cattail, it would be criminal to overlook the yellow pollen that gathers on the young spike in late spring. That pollen can be shaken from the spike flower into a bucket (you may need to sift a few bugs and flower portions from the resultant powder) and used, again, like any whole grain flour.
Both types of cattail flower are best mixed with grain flour for such as pancakes and heavier breads.
The young green spike can be steamed like corn on the cob and eaten the same. The very young and tender leaves can be used for salad or pot herb as well, and are quite bland.
Cattail pollen is rather tasty compared to the other more bland portions of the plant, but if you have a swamp or pond full of cattails close by, there will no excuse for starvation.

Thank you!! I definitely won't starve