Does anyone here have experience eating Japanese Knotweed? We have an [del]infestation[/del] abundance of it and (in the course of trying to learn what I was dealing with) I learned it’s not only edible, but may actually be quite tasty. I also learned that trying to fight it is an exercise in futility, and that the best I can hope for is semi-peaceful coexistence and frequent weeding.
It’s my understanding that the stalks, when new, are like a cross between asparagus & rhubarb, and I’m thinking about preparing them on the grill.
Anyone?
(raises hand)
I tried it a few years ago after reading Euell Gibbons’s book Stalking the Wild Asparagus. There’s a railroad embankment near my house where a jungle’s worth of the stuff grows.
He says to use young shoots about 12-18 inches tall, peel off the rind, and steam like asparagus. I just used butter and salt and pepper on mine and I thought it was ok, but not knock-your-socks-off good. It had a definite acidic flavor and I’m not a big fan of that.
I’m not sure how grilling them would work, because the stalks are hollow and once you peel them the walls are really thin. I’d be worried about them burning to a crisp or falling through the grill grates.
Still, give it a shot and maybe you’ll like it, and at least you’d never have a shortage of it 