Helpful hints from Tim Matson, the author of Earth Ponds:
As an aquaculture consultant, I meet a lot of pond owners who want to dredge out aquatic plants so they can swim. Normally, that’s not a bad idea. Invasive plants not only spoil your swimming, they can strangle a pond until it’s a blood sucking mosquito swamp. But lately I’ve been telling people to hold off, don’t pull the cattails. They make a tasty stew.
A year ago cattail stew was the last thing on my mind. But today Vermont is worried. The homeless population is rising (strange term, how can you populate nowhere?) Food shelves are running out. The job market is tanking. And it’s only July. Forecasts of high winter fuel prices have state officials scrambling for money to fund emergency heating programs. Legislators are looking for ways to cut the government and school week to four days, to reduce heating and commuting expenses.
People who were around thirty years ago say this feels like the 70s. People who were around in the 30s say it feels like the Great Depression. But Vermonters who remember their history lessons know that before gasoline and before Chunky Monkey, the Abenaki Indians survived on wild foods.
Normally when you think ponds, you think fish. But catching fish is a chancey affair. Now think cattails. The next time you pass a cattail marsh, take a look at all those roots and stalks and seed heads just waiting to be harvested. (Just make sure to leave enough so the stand stays healthy; that goes for any wild food, natch.) Even when there’s a foot of ice on the marsh or pond, you can get at the stalks and heads. Farmer and writer Gene Logsdon tells me his favorite parts of the cattail are the sprouts that grow on its roots and tubers. Could be a lifesaver at iceout, before anything else is growing.
Slough food, anyone?
–Tim Matson
For more information on creating and maintaining your own pond, consult Tim’s Earth Ponds series. You can visit his website at www.earthponds.com.
Posted: July 2nd, 2008 under Sustainable Living.
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We are pleased to announce that Gordon Sullivan’s Saving Homewaters was selected as one of four honorees in the 2008 Montana Book Award competition. This annual award recognizes literary excellence in a book written by someone who lives in Montana or dealing with Montana themes or issues. Presentations and a reception with the winning authors will take place Thursday, April 23, during the Montana Library Association Conference in Kalispell.
The latest installment from Tim Matson on winter pond etiquette and our wild animal friends. Tim is the author of the bestselling Earth Ponds series: