Page 34 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Arrowhead/Wapato, Sagittaria spp.

(POLYGONACEAE)

ARROWHEAD/WAPATO is an aquatic, herbaceous tion. Mashed root poultice may aid wound healing.
perennial, which grows in calm waters in plains and
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Unpleasant raw, the tu-
foothills in Western North America, from British Co-
bers can be roasted fresh, or dried and stored for later
lumbia and Alberta southwards to New Mexico. They
use. Washed raw tubers may store up to a few months in
also grow in many parts of the world. The prized va-
the fridge or root cellar. Dried tubers can be boiled and
riety in North America is Sagittaria latifolia.
used like potatoes. They taste like potatoes with a bit of
FLOWER: Flowers appear on erect stalks rising to 4 chestnut and sweet corn. Once harvested and peeled,
ft. (1.2 m) tall. Two to three whorls of small, white, and you can treat them the same way you would treat
three-petaled flowers bloom at the end of stalks in potatoes. They can be mashed, roasted, baked, or fried.
whorls of three from July to September. Male flowers
ARROWHEAD ROASTIES: Ingredients: 1 lb. (500g)
have bushy yellow centers while female flowers have
clean, peeled, and cubed arrowhead tubers, ½ lb.
mounded green centers.

(500g) clean, peeled, and sliced carrots, 1 onion,
LEAF: Shiny deep green leaves are shaped like ar-
chopped into chunks, 2 cloves garlic, peeled and
rowheads, arise from a basal rosette, and vary in size.
sliced, sunflower oil or butter, salt and pepper. Toss
Underwater leaves are narrower, while above-water
vegetables in a roasting pan with melted butter and
leaves can be 4 to 14 inches (10-35 cm) long and 3 to
seasoning until coated. Bake in a preheated oven at
10 inches (8-25 cm) wide. They have smooth margins
350°F (176°C) for 20 min. Remove from oven and toss
and visible veins.
vegetables again to recoat them. Add more oil or sea-

EDIBLE PARTS: rootstock, tubers
soning as needed. Cook for an additional 20 min. Serve
KEY MEDICINAL USES: A root tea may aid indiges- hot as a side dish to roast poultry or baked egg dishes.
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