Monday, March 5, 2012

Knotweed...tick, tick, tick


Yee ha! I am getting excited. It's almost knotweed time.

I looked longingly towards The Ramble when I was in Central Park with my nephew-in-law Yann this morning (zoo- red pandas, lemurs, bright birds), but he is a young man who tolerates little in the way of digression. I'll be back, though I think it's still far too early for the first juicy stalks, despite our weird weather.

 
Knotweed custard

But - to brief yourselves on what my suppressed greed is all about, visit my story about edible Japanese knotweed in Edible Manhattan, now online. It's available in print, too, but that you have to find it in, well, Manhattan.

It's a brilliant, cold day in New York, and, despite being knotweedless, supper will be good. My mother-in--law and nephew's last night in town, and while they are paying their respects to the Don (Yann is one of his biggest fans) I'll make bagna cauda - the hot bath of garlic and anchovies - with crunchy vegetables, followed by eat-with-your-fingers, herby baby pork ribs. The nephew will eat pasta. He eats only white food. Mango and guavas salad for our desert. My local Key food manager has started stocking guavas. A miracle.

Tomorrow? Prospect Park Litter Mob No. 21. Sign up if you dare.

10 comments:

  1. I had no idea it was edible let alone a delicay.

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    1. Does it appear in your French neck of woods, Rob?

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  2. Would you like to hunt knotweed in CP with me this year? It won't be for a few weeks...

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  3. Yes! - I'm playing it by ear. Quite unpredictable...

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  4. I confess I had to google the word "knotweed". I had absolutely no idea what it was...and I'm curious to learn what you will do with them. I wonder if I can find some here in Colorado...

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  5. Ugh, I LOATHE knotweed. Our elderly neighbour is growing an entire yard full and we spend the summer attacking it as much as we can along our fence. It is completely winning though - each year it gets stronger and more hideous. It is one of the worst weeds I've ever encountered. I heard you could eat it last year, but, heard mixed reports of the taste. I'm also not sure I could hold off my detestation of it long enough to consider it worthy of cooking. Food for thought...

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    1. Poor you. But follow the article link - you may be intrigued enough to taste. It is very versatile.

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  6. Hmm... just came back from a farmers' market (here in CA) and asked what knotweed was from one vendor who offered an unusually flavored sausage. It's a shame many parks do not allow legal collecting of invasives for food consumption. That would be so hard to regulate, versus say, digging up rare orchids or valuable landscape plants.

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