We eat them every spring; they're yummy! Just separate the two outer leaves, grasp the two inner leaves near the base, and slowly pull out. Eat the pale end, until you get to the fibery part--it should be tender/crisp, not fiber/chewy! Very delicate flavor, we just eat them raw and plain, but some prefer them with a little dressing. They'd be good in salad, or on a sandwich. You can pretty much live off various cattail parts if you have to, but we've never tried any part but this, in the spring.
Some other lovelies growing in our yard--the pears, apple, and wild plum are all bloomed out, the redbuds are almost finished, and the lilacs are heading out, too.
The crabapple was a corker, for as small as it was. The storms hit the blossoms pretty hard, so if we don't get enough crabapples for jelly, it's going to be a sad thing. The daffodils were INSANE this year! The brand new iris bed is actually starting to bloom--planted them last fall, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Smith at church. Yes, their names really are Mr. and Mrs. Smith! She was my Sunday School teacher AND my piano teacher, truly one of the nicest people on the entire planet. And the shrubby peony bush is going full tilt, it's gorgeous this year. Don't know the real name for it.
Touched my first frog and turtle of the year, saw the first lizard, have touched two squirrels (squirrel touching is our new sport), but dear husband saw the first snake.
We generally don't try to touch those . . .
***So: Two days later, and what happens? We're on our way to violin, and a big ol' snake is sunning is long ol' self in the middle of the driveway. It would NOT
move, but it DID flex itself so its scales became all bright and "scary." (We were amused rather than scared. Sorry, Snake!) It was asking for it--I touched it. THEN it moved, and FAST, thus not being run over by late violiners,
thus living to see another sunny day . . . ***
Spring is grand! Don't miss it by sitting around playing on the computer too much!
:) (Julie, what blooms in Alaska in the spring???)
4 comments:
Everything blooms here in the spring. When ever Spring really gets here. The weather is getting warmer and the days are longer, it stays light till after 10pm. The snow is mostly gone in Anchorage but it hasn't been warm enough for things to start opening up yet. Soon, though, soon.Hugs, Julie
How neat! I've never even heard of eating cattails!
Aw come on snakes are cool!! Just not the coppery, rattley, and moccasiny type.
I'm coming here to tattletale on my DH. He doesn't believe that you can eat cattails. I told him you said he can. He says you shouldn't eat anything in your yard. I asked him 'what about the pear trees and berry bushes we have?' 'Well, that is different.' He's a dork. I better get some cattails to try just to prove him wrong.
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