Cattails are a spectacular plant to have in an edible garden. They aren't difficult to take care of, thrive in ditches and drainage areas where others may struggle, and every part of the Cattail is edible at various stages of growth. Across the internet, I've seen Cattail touted as the ultimate survival food, so I had to see what all the fuss was about for myself.

At this time of year, most plants in the PNW have gone dormant for the late Fall and coming Winter seasons. Working with what's currently available, I started looking around for ways to prepare the roots. My attention was grabbed when I saw that you can use them to make a flour substitute. As a person who lives with the constraints of a gluten-free diet, I love working with alternatives and substitutes that I can make from home... though I must admit, after a failed attempt to make flour from acorns, I have been intimidated by the whole idea.

Luckily, with the Cattail roots, I had only a few relatively easy steps:

• Gather and wash roots well
• Using a vegetable peeler, remove auxiliary roots and outer fibrous layer
• Cut roots into strips similar in size
• Place in dehydrator overnight
• Once dry, grind into flour
• Sift flour well to remove any remaining fibers
• Mix into flour for recipes, experimenting with ratios to see what texture you prefer, and be aware that it has a mildly nutty flavor. I worked with a 1:3 ratio of Cattail to all-purpose GF flour and was very happy with the results. 

Cranberry Citrus Shortbread Cookies

I knew that I wanted to try using the Cattail flour for some cookies I've been craving. The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I always ate around those as I'm personally not a fan of the texture of nuts in desserts. Knowing the Cattail flour would have a mildly nutty flavor, I decided I would try the cookies sans nuts with just a hint of flavor instead. I know I'm biased as I'm the one who made the cookies, but I have to say they were quite delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted cattail flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour (I used GF)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of one orange

• Cream the butter, sugar and zest together until well combined.
• Add the flour and vanilla extract, blending until it comes together in lumps.
• Mix in cranberries, working the dough until it is no longer crumbly.
• Form the dough into a roughly 10-inch log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours to overnight.
• Slice the chilled dough into 1/3-inch slices and place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool, as they will become more firm.

I hope you enjoy this adaptation to one of my favorite cookies. They make a great addition to Holiday party dessert tables! As you may have noticed from my photo above, I wasn't diligent with my flour sifting and had lots of fibrous bits get into the recipe. They weren't noticeable as a texture while eating the cookies and actually made for a great conversation starter and explanation of the process of making flour at home. While I'll be sure to sift more thoroughly next time, I'm pleased to report there were no issues or hard feelings... the cookies just looked a little fuzzy.