That’s right. Those fuzzy cigar-like cattails in ponds have a delicious root under the water that is totally edible and fun to eat. They’re feast food! And if you bring this dish to a party you’ll be displaying the bounty of wild food that often surrounds us. 

To harvest: Put your hands as close to the base as possible and pull. Peel off the outer woody layers and you have a plant similar to hearts of palm. Harvest in the summer in unpolluted water where there are a lot of other cattails. 

Ingredients for 6-8 servings as a side dish:

• 1/4 of an onion diced
• 1 cup of cubed tempeh
• 1 clove of garlic diced
• 3 cups of roughly chopped cattails
• 1 lemon juiced
• gluten-free soy sauce or sea salt to taste

1. Heat a nonstick pan, add the onions and cook until translucent
2. Add the tempeh, stirring until golden on a couple sides
3. Add the garlic for a minute. Squeeze in half of the lemon if it starts sticking to the pan. 
4. Stir in the cattails and lemon juice and cook for about 3 minutes