The Cattail and its Many Uses

The Cattail and its Many Uses

The cattail is one of the most easily identifiable and recognized plants in North America, and also one of the most useful. Growing throughout the entire state of Minnesota, they are always easy to locate, usually forming dense growths around lake shores, ponds, and swampy areas. Let's take a look at some of the ways we can utilize this plant in the field.

Both the young shoots, and the soft inner base of mature stalks (below) can be eaten raw or cooked. It's a bit like celery. This is a plentiful food source and requires very little effort.

The rhizomes (root structures) can be dug up and eaten year-round. They are a good source of starch and protein, and can be prepared just like potatoes.

The young green flowering spikes can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. It has a similar taste, too.

Once they have flowered, you can shake out and collect the yellow pollen. This can be used as a flour substitute. The taste is the same.

The fluff from the older flowering bodies makes an excellent fire tinder. It can also be used as an effective insulation for clothing and footwear in cold weather.

The long flat leaves are very sturdy and can be woven into baskets and mats. Sometime in the future, I'd like to make a sleeping mat out of cattail.

The dead, dry stalks can even be used as the spindle for a hand-drill fire. I find them to be much easier on the hands than other materials.

This is the first in a series featuring multi use plants, so stay tuned for more like this in the coming weeks.

Thanks for looking!