It’s the caviar of wild plants! The cattail heart is harvested close to the root in the submerged part of the plant. Delicate and lightly crispy, it resembles a palm heart but its finesse is unmatched! It is an exceptional artisan product whose harvest is arduous, and in our opinion, it’s one of the most unique and historically rich dishes the forest can offer!
A Challenging Harvest!
Harvesting cattail is done often standing in water up to the waist. The mud hinders easy movement, mosquitoes test patience, and the experience is physically demanding.
Yet, as intense as it is, harvesting cattail is a great joy as you work in one of the richest natural environments: wetlands. Turtles, muskrats, birds; we encounter extraordinary fauna and flora!
The areas where we harvest are carefully chosen for their cleanliness. Indeed, cattail is a filter plant that accumulates pollutants in the water. We always ensure to harvest in contaminant-free areas, upstream of watercourses.
A Fragile Environment to Preserve
While the heart constitutes only a small part of the cattail and the rest of the plant is left behind, the harvest does not endanger the presence of the plant, quite the opposite.
As soon as the cattail is taken, the rhizome sends the signal for new shoots to appear. Harvesting allows a healthy regeneration of the plant and its environment. We’ve been harvesting from the same marsh for over 20 years, and it gets more beautiful every year!
