While out hunting insulators or doing whatever you enjoy doing outdoors, the cattail plant is a common encounter. I harvest the male pollen spike in mid May to late June and enjoy eating them. What's in the picture is the male pollen spike which is very edible, tender, and tastes a bit like corn. I boil them for about 5 minutes, melt sea salted butter, dip and enjoy. Very tasty, nutritious and healthy. A great survival food resource.

Plants filter pollution out of the water and soil. So it's best to avoid plants growing near roads, fields, livestock farms and inside the city. Eat the weeds and enjoy!