Japanese Knotweed & Strawberry Cobbler
Traditional western cuisine combines rhubarb with strawberries. Japanese knotweed, a superior relative of rhubarb, makes this combo even better.
Layered between soy-cottage cheese, breadcrumbs, and walnuts, it can't be beat. "Wildman" Steve Brill had some samples yesterday on our foraging tour and it was gourmet! Here's his recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/4 cup corn oil
2 cups soy-cottage cheese
3 cups Japanese knotweed shoots, sliced
2-1/2 cups wild or commercial strawberry jam
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Here's what you do:
1. Mix the breadcrumbs with the corn oil.
2. Layer a large, oiled casserole dish with soy-cottage cheese, Japanese knotweed, strawberry jam, oiled breadcrumbs, and walnuts, pressing everything down with the palm of your hand.
3. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
4. Chill. (Note: You definitely should peel Japanese knotweed shoots that are over 1 foot tall because the skin tends to be stringy.)
Time: 20 + 30 minutes.....Serves 6
About the weed in general:
Japanese knotweed grows all over Central Park from Mid April to early May and is treated as weed and mowed down every year. (Yesterday I harvested close to 3lbs!)
You can also find it on disturbed soil, along roadsides and riverbanks, in other moist areas, and in fields. It often displaces other plants and is difficult to eradicate.
Best when 6 to 8 inches tall, the intensely tart, tangy shoots (discard all the tough leaves) taste like rhubarb, only better. A tough rind that you must peel (good for making marmalade) covers the taller ones.
Japanese knotweed is an excellent source of vitamin A, along with vitamin C and its co-factor, the antioxidant flavonoid rutin. It also provides potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese as well as a substantial amount ofresveratrol, the same substance in the skin of grapes and in red wine that lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks. Resveratrol may delay the onset of Alzheimerís disease or slow its progression. Normally, glial cells in the brain support the neurons (nerve cells), but in Alzheimerís disease, an accumulation of gunk called amyloid plaques signals these helper cells to kill the neurons instead. Resveratrol seems to block this deadly signal. Pretty amazing for a weed.
