Cat-tail Roots Are Good to Eat
However, we have been supposing that this pioneer camper proposes to live off the country, and that he has taken no supplies with him, unless it [[161]]be his coffee, tea, and tobacco. In such a case he will have to find wild food. This is more easily done than might be thought. For example, in almost every section you will not have to travel far without finding the common cat-tail reeds. You will find them along the coastal shores. They are almost sure to be growing in the swampy spots found in the folds of the landscape or in the marshes along the rivers and the margins of lakes. Wherever there is a swamp, there you are pretty sure to find some of these cat-tails. They usually stand in the muck or in very shallow water.
Dig out some of these cat-tail stalks with your hand-ax, or grub them out with your fingers. If you have a shovel along the job will be easier. Dig up some of these cat-tails and you will find running from each clump of these reeds to the next clump a root about an inch in diameter; botanically this root is called a rhizome. The root will be covered with a brown fibrous bark which can easily be stripped off. The core within this bark can be boiled like an Irish potato, is more nutritious, and tastes better. During the starvation times of the Valley Forge winter Washington’s soldiers discovered that these cat-tail roots were good to eat and partly lived on them.
After you have procured some of these cat-tail roots, slice them across with your knife into thin slices, and boil in your wooden pot as directed for soup and you will find them both satisfying and appetizing. [[162]]