Kudzu

For those of you that don't know what kudzu is, good for you. For the rest of us in the south, it is a nightmare. It was introduced to the US in the early 20th century. It was considered an ornamental plant for the first few decades, then during the depression, FDR and the Dept of agriculture decided to plant it all over the south near rivers, streams, and creeks to help with erosion problem. It controls erosion very well, unfortunately nothing controls it. A single vine can grow more than 60 ft a year. I have a creek bordering an entire side of my property. The bank is prime habitat for kudzu. I keep it mowed down but if I go away for a few weeks, the kudzu consumes everything. My first resection was on july 1st, 2008. I knocked down all the kudzu in my yard. When I was back on my feet near the middle of august, I had 2 new acres of kudzu. Kudzu kills and destroys everything in it's path. It brings down the mightiest oaks, it brings down power lines, buildings, everything. I used to hate it, now I'm a little more comfortable with it. I guess you could say it has grown on me.

I've eaten kudzu blossom jelly my whole life. I remember spending days as a kid picking the blossoms for my grandma and mom. The blossoms are very beautiful and I see why it was originally introduced as an ornamental plant. But I didn't start eating the plant until last year when I looked out over my field of kudzu and just got hungry for some reason. I looked into it and as it turns out, you can eat most of the plant, all the way to the roots. It's like an endless supply of food in my yard. My favorite parts are the new leaves and shoots. The small new leaves are delicious. I eat them raw, usually in some sort of salad. They have a powerful, earthy flavor, sort of like a mix between collard greens and spinach. The shoots are incredibly versatile and delicious. I've eaten hem raw, stir fried, deep fried, baked, pickled, and boiled. I only use about the last 3-5 inches of a newly sprouting vine, any further back and it's too fibrous. I've tracked down some bigger vines to the root. The root can be used for tons of things, but I mostly just just add it to my green tea. I have made soups and bread from it, but it's a lot of work. The fully developed leaves are the hardest to work with but deliver in the end. You have to cook them for ever in a pressure cooker, but it's worth it. I find the finished product more enjoyable than collards, turnips, or cabbage, that's saying something since those are my three favorite foods.

Here's the kicker! Kudzu is about the best plant you can eat. If you consider the benefits of the shoots, leaves, blossoms, and roots. No other plant comes close to the nutritional value of kudzu. It's even high in protein, and it's fiber content is unmatched. Toward the end of last year, I was harvesting it everyday. I delivered it to friends and family. I think it is catching on. The best part is that it is completely 100% organic. Not only is it organic, you probably wont find any bugs on it either, since there aren't any native bugs that eat it. I usually don't see defects whatsoever. It's an almost pure food source. I do wash it, mostly because I don't want any rain residue on it.

It's still a nightmare tho. I guess about 1/4 acre could feed a family of four for the entire summer. Unfortunately I have several acres of kudzu. So even after stuffing my belly, I have 2 too many acres of it.