Co-owner of the company Vers Forêt, whose mission is to introduce people to forest edibles, Xavier Mantha calls the distaff the “convenience store plant”. For what ? “Because there are a lot of edible parts in the cattail. » However, if you harvest this plant made up of a long stem, ribbon leaves and spiked flowers to eat it, you must choose your picking location carefully. “Cattail is a bioaccumulator of pollution and heavy metals. You must make sure to pick it from lakes or rivers where there is not too much human activity. »
June is the perfect time to harvest cattail hearts. To do this, you must not be afraid of getting wet. “Sometimes I have water up to my navel,” laughs Xavier Mantha. This “fairly sporty” picking is carried out in the mud, often among flies. “You grab the distaff at the base, then pull on it at a small angle. » By leaving the rhizomes, that is to say the horizontal roots, in place, we allow new shoots to emerge, he explains. Very abundant in certain regions of Quebec, the cattail is however sensitive to the invasion of the common reed. It is better to avoid picking it where competition is strong.
Before you can eat the cattail hearts, you have to peel the harvested plant – with the leaves you can make baskets, for example. We remove the fibrous layers in this way until we reach the heart, which is white and tender. To consume this part, you must pick the cattail before it flowers, otherwise its center will be too hard. “You can eat your heart fresh. It’s very good in a salad, blanched in an omelette or just like that,” says Xavier Mantha. Through Vers Forest, he sells cattail hearts marinated in cider vinegar with sea salt. The taste is similar to heart of palm.
