Can you eat cattail fluff?

A friend told me that if you bake cattail fluff into muffins, the cattail will give the muffins a banana taste. I decided to test this out. The cattail is a very edible plant. At various times of the year, their seed head, pollen head, roots, and stalks all make tasty meals. The "fluff "is the mature seed that appears midsummer. It is often used as a fire starter, but I haven't found any information about eating it when it's mature. In early spring, the seed heads can be eaten like asparagus.
Note: Australia does have native cattail species. Typha latifolia, the species in this video is invasive there.
Also note. In North America, bullrush refers to a separate plant ((Scirpus sp.). Bulrush in the UK seems to refer to Typha latifolia. My family has only been in Canada and has held onto some of the lingo. It proves a good example of why Latin names are often the best way to go. Regional differences in plant names can add some serious confusion. Bulrush (North American version) is also edible, though I haven't tried it.
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Please watch: "Botanical Delights at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens" for some fascinating stuff on edible plants, Mexican history, and other very cool nature nerd facts.
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[@aidendolan6736]

Who is here after “ i found some wild glizzys “ video on TikTok ?

[@shuntalefoster424]

Lmfaoooooooo

[@calvinjohnsonmegatron9046]

Yep

[@stephanieparrish]

Me lmao

[@stevenj.bailey5764]

Yooo

[@ryantran5784]

Lmaooo

[@DD-kw9wp]

She called it a glizzy in 2016 she must be a time traveler

[@dabbingturtle4983]

So they do exist

[@lima-9618]

7 year old

[@wydjuli]

changed the title

[@thisismycat2421]

@@wydjuli delete comment

[@wydjuli]

@@thisismycat2421 why?

[@MuseOfTheMoose]

I always thought they were solid...

[@Nerding4Nature]

While I don't recommend eating them, I definitely recommend playing with them. Target practice and whacking your friend in the head (as long as the fluff is good and loose) are two excellent options :) It's probably too late for all the fun now, though :(

[@ozhinz]

@@siuuur9201offline

[@ozhinz]

@@siuuur9201 rock

[@mako9324]

Bruh

[@mrkingyt656]

Me too

[@jsal7666]

🎵 I found some wild glizzies! 🎵 ... *MUFFLED SCREAMING*

[@emilyebanks4650]

LMAOOO i was waiting for this comment

[@sIut.]

😐

[@aspenxd8488]

Don't do dis

[@aidendolan6736]

Hey your funny but i commeted it first

[@aidendolan6736]

@@emilyebanks4650 i did it first

[@cedriczebelle8723]

People said “glizzy” 4 years ago?

[@dabbingturtle4983]

ikr

[@hanaf.8632]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@MrRANDUM145]

I think she changed title

[@6fiends]

The word glizzy had been around for a long time

[@omgwhatisthattwhatisthat1249]

Ikr exactly what I said but history repeats itself soooo

[@MidwestGardener]

I think that before it was baked, that mix would have been ideal for patching air leaks in a log cabin. Sure didn't know the fluff could be eaten.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Hmmm...I think you might be right. lol

[@samlauricella3872]

forbidden glizzy

[@Ethereality776]

Gay

[@novatheworld]

@@Ethereality776 gay isn’t an insult

[@Guccipoooch]

@@Ethereality776 gay is a compliment When the wild glizzys in town

[@slothyyteen-lg7me]

Automatically gay if u like anime

[@Ethereality776]

@@slothyyteen-lg7me omg u my g

[@thathikingguy]

Hahaha not in a million years would I have cooked that up. We used to use them as kids as bombs while we were playing war. Fluffy Bombs though. Thanks for the shout out

[@Nerding4Nature]

Do you think that fluffy bombs could be the key to world peace? They certainly weren't great as food, that's for sure. Other parts of the cattail are rather tasty though.

[@thathikingguy]

The Last Grownup in the Woods I think they could be yes LOL. How many parts are you going to eat?

[@Melanie-lr]

@@thathikingguy 4 years... yea... your answer is gone

[@deanddy]

Bruh i just came here after watching random man eating cattail on tiktok

[@Nerding4Nature]

How did it go for him?

[@jamorant944]

@@Nerding4Nature it kept coming out of his mouth haha

[@dangerousdanehar9832]

You’re wrong for that

[@catchild1013]

Who else here bc of the guy eating "wild glizzys"

[@bot6907]

who isn’t lul

[@crius5819]

@@bot6907 me

[@nillysigger_222]

@@bot6907 me

[@madisonyourdad5319]

Same

[@justsomeordinarywatcher3146]

The guy who called cattails hot dogs

[@lifeofjon5584]

I have cattails growing in my rice patch. Probably going to skip the muffin recipe. lol

[@Nerding4Nature]

Do that, though might I recommend the roots?

[@traceywilliams6012]

You have a rice patch!?

[@DD-kw9wp]

Glizzys and rice

[@edaniel7450]

@@DD-kw9wp Asian glizzy

[@jasan8177]

Give me rice

[@robdawg1017]

I found some wild glizzys!!

[@comicgames6477]

Lol you too huh🤣🤣

[@Danix0024]

I😶FOUND👀SOME😑WILD🐱GLIZZYS🌭WORLD WAR 2 AIR RAID SIREN🚨

[@robdawg1017]

danix unmm... okay!! Lmao 😂

[@JS-wp4gs]

Its worth mentioning you need to be careful about the area you harvest them from. They frequently grow in areas that have arsenic or lead in the soil and it is possible to end up with some serious heavy metal poisoning if you're not careful about where you get them

[@Nerding4Nature]

Excellent point. I definitely mentioned the pollutants in later videos when I took stems and roots, but it still would have been good to mention for this one.

[@cabotbluegill]

I bet the dog would have liked those muffins

[@Nerding4Nature]

Probably, though I don't know how his owners would feel about it. I guess that's one advantage of owning your own dog. Food scrap disposal. Thanks for watching.

[@chlowormy5972]

It looks to much like corn dogs

[@giobigbandz1340]

I waz thinking the same thing

[@s.harvin1509]

😳Welp that dog would have went to dog heaven...or her intestines clogged give or take...🤦🏾‍♀️

[@ZayK-WithDaDraco]

"Wild glizzy muffins" Nice alternative title really made me want to watch this

[@irongirltoni]

You earned a new sub. I was looking for the wild glitzy meme, but I like your personality and it drew me in. I'm more of an indoor, go-outside-twice-a-month gal, but you make outside seem cool!

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks for subbing :)

[@NoLawKazo]

As a kid I genuinely thought these were hotdogs

[@nillysigger_222]

Same, and finally, a comment that isn’t from tik tok.

[@TravelSmallLiveBig]

Bad muffin etiquette - OMG. Giant plug in my intestines. HA HA HA! Holy crap. This shall be my binge watch channel.

[@lifebefellthepowells6967]

Cattails are so versatile, I can’t wait for the rest of the series to see what other creative uses you come up with that I haven’t heard of.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks. If things go to plan, the next one should be coming out this Wednesday (a few weeks later than planned).

[@ChannelTheron]

Too funny.I've heard of the pollen (shaken off when they are yellow)being used for muffins(flour) before,but not the fluff.Cant wait to see the rest of the series,and more of your fort too! I think I've camped with that melon head you mentioned at the end,lol.

[@Nerding4Nature]

I tried the pollen last spring, but didn't have time to edit the footage. It took a good deal of work to collect not very much and what I did get was full of maggots. I'll either edit that footage over the winter or try again next spring. My fort is a few hour away at my parents'. I go out there when I'm visiting to relax. I was thinking of doing a winter shelter video with it over Christmas.

[@Nancytoday]

You are awesome. I am so glad I have found you. Finally! I would recommend using the Cat tail tops when they are edible. Once they turn brown they are not. There are two cats our heads. The one on the top disappears and you never see it after the beginning in July. But that is full of the yellow pollen which is full of vitamin C. Also when it is still green you can take it off with your thumb and that is really tasty. But once it turns brown it’s garbage or fire starter or pillow stuffing.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thank you. I’ve actually since made videos on the pollen and the green flower head. Both are much tastier :)

[@Nancytoday]

I’m so glad to meet you. I love your attitude.

[@BrianWest58]

That was kinda neat that you tried it. Probably never be a thing, I'm thinking. lol Looking forward to more on the subject!

[@Nerding4Nature]

I very much doubt it will be a thing. I couldn't find anything on the internet about eating the fluff, just my one friend.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Cattail fluff may have been a flop, but the roots are delicious. I also made pancakes from the pollen and a basket from the leaves. Watch the whole playlist here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4Wqo359btOSpdk

[@zakialiberty3924]

I heard the green young fruit is edible before it turns to fluff. It is said tasted similar to corn. With food processor add some milk, sounds nice. Have you ever tried it? the pollen can also be used to add to pancakes flower.

[@andreasnowack8014]

@@zakialiberty3924 not only the yound "fruits", that are exactly flowers, also the inner part of young stems in spring are very delicious!

[@Nerding4Nature]

@@zakialiberty3924 This is a very late response, but I did make a video on the pollen and young seedheads. Take a look if you're interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIDWfpp3a5mYbqs

[@CampfireSteveOutdoors]

Always am entertained by your productions. Around here, we dry out the cat tail and then light one end to let smolder as a "punk", which repels mosquitos. A quick search of the web did show how flour can be made from the plant base and some people eat the leaves.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Ya, their seems to be a number of ways to eat it. I just decided to start with the one that I had never heard of before (and that I didn't find anything about on Google). I just learned about lighting them today, so I'll have to add that to the cattail video roster. Thanks for watching!

[@CampfireSteveOutdoors]

Any Time!

[@ThePianiolist]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I am surprised I never heard of you before, you need more recognition this was a fun video

[@ThePianiolist]

So I subscribed

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thank you very much.

[@ThePianiolist]

Nerding for Nature you’re very welcome

[@ZTFsenpai]

Her lisp is so adorable I love her

[@juliavirna4439]

You're amazing! I was just curious but I ended up learning a lot and you are very funny and smart! Loved the channel! ♡♡♡♡

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thank you so much!!

[@vajazzlerthis]

Well this random video just made my morning.

[@ironfirehorse]

Awesome experiment. I'm disappointed though. I'm allergic to bananas and I love banana muffins. Been looking for a substitute. Love your humour and that shirt is awesome :)

[@Nerding4Nature]

Irene Noonan Thanks! The shirt was one of my better thrift store finds. I was pretty disappointed about the muffins too. It is possible that the apple covered up the banana taste, but I couldn't get over the texture, at least not after they'd cooled down.

[@dway_n3251]

really like how she talks

[@TimWatsonOutdoors]

Lol! Love your vids. That was pretty brave. I'll admit the dough looked gross.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Someone else suggested it looked like a bowl of cat hairballs. I can't disagree.

[@VandysCalltoAdventure]

Interesting video, Carly! Nice to know about the roots though!

[@Nerding4Nature]

Ya, the roots are pretty tasty. Thanks for watching!

[@LeeRalph100]

International Cattail Day!!! What??!!!! And I did not get the day off!!! LOL Loved this, very funny and enjoyable...and informational too!!! Well Done!!!

[@Nerding4Nature]

Hmmm, that's odd. I did. Though that could be because I'm working on call at the moment. Thanks for stopping by!

[@dom3280]

i cant stop laughing at “wild glizzy muffins”

[@shovelhead8]

Glad you tried it. Now I don't have to wonder . Thank you for the video

[@DerangedSurvival]

Love the comedy, I heard you can collect the pollen from cat tails and use it as flour. Great video.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks Eric! I tried the pollen last spring, but didn't have time to edit the footage. It took a good deal of work to collect not very much and what I did get was full of maggots. I'll either edit that footage over the winter or try again next spring.

[@fisheyeguy]

Another great video! And a nice shoutout to a great channel!

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks for stopping by.

[@TheoutdooradventureNet]

Fun watch. Keep up the good work. 7/10 for fluff content.

[@Nerding4Nature]

lol. Thanks for watching!

[@taniaplaysgames]

I FOUND A WILD GLIZZYYYYYYYY

[@JesusChrist4ever]

You most be the coolest mom ever plus lol I watch your videos paying attention but looking only at the way you talk cuz I love it 🥰 ^.^

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks :) Not a mom yet, but will be in three months :)

[@JesusChrist4ever]

Amazing congratulations 🍾🎉🎊 and we need more videos hook us up ^.^

[@HappyTrailsHiking]

Hmmmmm...I hope everything digested well. ;-) Compost! Love it!

[@Nerding4Nature]

It seemed to come out alright. Compost is an excellent use. You are the first to come up with one. Consider yourself entered.

[@HappyTrailsHiking]

LOL! Yay! Happy to be nominated! ;-)

[@jasonbigart9027]

So I just took this survive the wilderness test from Facebook. You know those things that randomly pop up now in your feed, and got a 17 out f 21. I guess not so bad but one of the questions was which one of the 4 plants listed is considered not edible? I don't remember the other 3 plant names anymore but, I guessed cattails because I just couldn't imagine eating the fluff part and that's all I could think about how not edible it is. Well I guessed wrong so I was curious to see what was so edible about a cattail and came across this awesome Jem of a video. I don't say that sarcastically at all. Now even though I really didn't find out what is so edible about a cattail, I was thoroughly entertained and even chuckled at a couple parts of your show. I just subscribed, I'm following you on Twitter now (@JayBigFilms) and I liked you on Facebook. I hope you made more episodes because I'm going to look for them now.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks! I really appreciate that I did make one more video about cattail roots, and the results were delicious. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4Wqo359btOSpdk I'll definitely be doing some more wild edible videos as soon as the plants start to grow again.

[@rogerlamb536]

Very interesting, I like your humor and I will check more of your video's

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks Roger!

[@emmarina3525]

She reminds me of Olivia Octavius from Spider-Verse

[@theodorenarciso7030]

Must be fun experimenting on cattails!

[@Nerding4Nature]

They area good, safe plant to experiment on.

[@Cands528]

Good video just the right amount of comedy!

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks Stanley!

[@sashabeng]

I’m gonna have to follow for this one

[@technoendo]

Hey this was an interesting experiment. Makes me wonder if there is some species of cattail or a particular locality that does taste like banana? Where did the story you overheard come from I wonder? Have you eaten cattail tubers? I hear those are a decent starch to eat.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Could be. My friend lives in Alberta. I always figured there was something on the water there (besides tar sands runoff). There is only one cattail species, but plenty of subspecies, so that could be it too. It could also be that the apple hid the taste. My next videos is on tubers. They are delicious. One of my new favourite wild food plants, actually.

[@GameoftheYear-fx4mq]

I lost it reading the title alone

[@PermacultureHomestead]

love the delivery lol, wish i had an intelligent humor, im too boring lol

[@Nerding4Nature]

Nonsense. Your passion and excitement for your projects always shines though in your videos.

[@KevinsAdventures]

Awesome video as usual, thanks for testing it out for us. That would have been the best bannock addition if it indeed did tasted like banana. Thanks again for sharing.

[@Nerding4Nature]

I know right? In hindsight, if they really did taste like banana, more people would probably know about it.

[@wyocoloexperience7025]

Boy, you are fun to watch! Were those muffins stringy? They looked OK.

[@Nerding4Nature]

They were okay when they were fresh out of the oven, but yes a little stringy. The next day it was a bit like chewing on a sweater.

[@drakebushmire227]

So the wild glizzys must be prepped before actually being eaten.

[@kukuass13]

She’s like a cool aunt

[@Nerding4Nature]

I am a cool aunt (says my nephew).

[@jamalsowell3650]

Ah, the wild glizzy muffin. My favorite treat.

[@sosteve9113]

i just want to try it,lucky your tested it for me out lol now your getting your fibers in your system hahaha

[@Nerding4Nature]

Definitely no shortage of fibre in that snack. Thanks for watching!

[@ZachByrd]

I'm the world's worst as far as chewing on random plant life is concerned but I have never chewed on the the sausage end of a cattail before and thanks to this video I don't think I ever will haha. Another great vid.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Don't worry, there are some parts of the cattail that re good to chew on. I just chose the (hopefully) worst first. Well maybe not the worst. When I tried to collect the pollen, it was full of maggots.

[@okayatbest6289]

She's ahead of her time

[@destroyedgfx3163]

2016 : wild GLIZZY muffin 2020 GLIZZY 4 years later its back

[@akdriller8806]

Love dogs as long as they belong to someone else! Great time, a pleasure to watch. I've only tried the tuber/root, a nutty familiar taste I couldn't quite place. Nice try with the muffins anyways.

[@Nerding4Nature]

I tried them a few weeks ago. I think after much though they reminder me of plantains (the banana like fruit, not the leafy green plant)

[@akdriller8806]

I've had neither of those,...? Only tried a few chunks in the field. Will have to try some again sometime.

[@billyjoedenny]

great sense of humor, my grandfather use to make a torch from them .. ..bill

[@Nerding4Nature]

billy joe denny ooo I should add that to the list of videos for the series. Thanks for the idea!

[@mr.daddypig2952]

I like this channel its chill 🙂

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks :)

[@CarlTheMadman]

You're the best Carley

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thanks Carl!

[@uptrail7169]

I enjoyed watching this video. You should have sent a sample to That Hiking Guy! LOL....

[@Nerding4Nature]

Channel of the week gets presented with a sample of the weekly entré. I like it! Thanks for watcing.

[@work5170]

There were 420 comments before I commented

[@kenjikkbp]

"Man I sure love golfing, even if they have, *The world's natural hotdogs* "

[@DrFatesOrder]

Yessir

[@kojikakoifish2862]

That batter seriously looks like a cat's hairball. But very cool idea!

[@Angel-wv8vl]

I love your videos

[@Nerding4Nature]

Thank you :)

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Fantastic

[@catpoke9557]

I honestly just wanna know if it's possible to digest the fluff at all because I saw someone eating the fluff because cavemen ate cattails but.. I mean... I don't feel like they ate the fluffy part.. People still eat the other parts to this day, so.

[@Nerding4Nature]

The fluff itself is probably just cellulose and not digestible. I might have gotten some nutrients from the seeds themselves, but they are a very small portion of the fluff. I have several videos of eating the other parts of cattail. Most of it is very nutritious.

[@wildcrochunter6724]

is there any way to put these into hotdogs?? i think it would be really funny, considering they not only look like sausages, but also they’re called water dogs, similar to hot dogs. could you somehow do a video on that? i can’t find any where i live, but i’ll keep looking for them!

[@katerichards1513]

wow that’s in undertale

[@wildcrochunter6724]

@@katerichards1513 hell yeah it is 😎

[@kanora582]

@0:50 it is NOT invasive in Australia. We call it Cumbungi and we use it a native bush tucker. P.s. I am a bush tucker teacher

[@Nerding4Nature]

Someone corrected me on that already. I believe when I looked into it, this particular species, typha latifolia, IS invasive in some places, but you still have native varieties. My bad.

[@wayneeddy3261]

The fluff also makes a quick firestarter..🔥

[@Nerding4Nature]

To start the fire that can cook all the much tastier and nutritous parts of this plant :D

[@tynature3598]

Interesting...not so sure if I would try it myself though. haha.

[@alzoz6741]

Cattails aren't invasive in Australia. We have some different species I believe, but they're not foreign in oz.

[@Nerding4Nature]

Right you are. It seems I was just looking at Typha latifolia. I'll add that tidbit to the comments. Thanks for the info.

[@freonsp]

She acts so cute

[@ColdSalt99]

I searched up "eating common bulrush from rdr2" and found this

[@buttnuttz6119]

When I was younger I was convinced that these were hotdogs or corn dogs that someone had poked on a stick and put them into the ground. Never got to touch one though..

[@Evravon]

I have heard that the ends of the fresh shoots taste like cucumbers with pepper.

[@MsBleau]

They contain vitamins A, B, C calcium and phosphorus. The whole plant can be eaten, the starch can be used to make flour. Baked , boiled, fried, raw.

[@Autoblox0]

I live in a Australia and my house is like in a park and there is a door near the backyard and then there is a lot of wild glizzys outisde

[@Nerding4Nature]

It turns out their are some native ones, but this particular species (Typha latifolia) is invasive there.

[@ibillisticsheep3264]

You’re so brave. 😂

[@Nerding4Nature]

Haha, thanks. I like trying things so others don't have to :)

[@kobvv]

he found some wild glizzies

[@Blackwolf-qi6eq]

“forbidden hotdog”

[@MichaelKincaiddontroughit]

Great channel! Found your channel from That Hiking Guy, sub added ✔👍😎

[@Nerding4Nature]

Awesome. Will go check out your channel as well.

[@MichaelKincaiddontroughit]

Thanks!

[@sevensixtwothirtynine3020]

the forbidden corndog

[@dwightturner3070]

I used to soak dry cat tail seed pods in kerosene, then light them on fire. they would burn like a torch for over an hour.

[@Nerding4Nature]

I'll need to try that sometime. Sounds more useful than eating them, lol.

[@deadpool6072]

My allergy is clapping in happiness.

[@TheOtterOutdoorsman]

I looked at that batter and was like "that does not look good" I wonder if it got ground into a fine powder if it would be better then it just fluffed up. Though I know people use the pollen can be used in batters like pancakes and the like. Side note, the lower stalk tastes like cucumber to me. Great vid!

[@Nerding4Nature]

I've eaten the stalk before. It's delicious! I tried to collect the pollen, but it took a lot of work to not get much out, and when I did, it was filled with little maggots. I'm going to try again next spring, though I might make a fail video if I'm short on material over the winter. Apparently the whole male flower stalk can be cut up an eaten. Next week is tubers, which turned out spectacularly.

[@TheOtterOutdoorsman]

yay can't wait to see it, never really took the time to harvest cattails

[@z-jannilla3244]

Are you still uploading videos?

[@Nerding4Nature]

Yes, but not as often as I once was.

[@Banana-pt7fi]

I was confused af why everyones comment is so recent, but then it was just tiktok

[@Nerding4Nature]

I woke up one morning to find all these wild glizzy comments. Took me a while to figure out it was tiktok. I'm not complaining about the extra views though, lol.

[@fleendarthemagnificent7372]

Well, now I know what glizzies are....

[@Faunri]

Good thing this is under wild glizzy video

[@Oli_rats]

I just wanna know how much like fluff they have

[@WyeExplorer]

I haven't seen such a mess on the cooking surface since school. I've sussed out a use. Dog Food! Mind you the dog might twig on in which case dry them out and chuck on the fire. It could make a good fuel source. Very entertaining that one. Have a great fluffy day. Mark.

[@Nerding4Nature]

My husband has also noted my tendency to create messy cooking surfaces. It's a talent :D I think that they would make better fuel than the average muffin.

[@WyeExplorer]

The Last Grownup in the Woods Ha ha...the mess is not an illusion then. Interesting that because Cattail do make good tinder. Have a great day...

[@4n4rch1st7]

“Glizzy” was a thing in 2016?

[@tyfleur]

did they change the title?

[@Nerding4Nature]

Yup :) After the 100th or so wild glizzy comment I decided to go with it, lol.

[@cagedraptor]

Glad you did that and not me. I'll take your word for the Not to do that idea.

[@Nerding4Nature]

lol. Someone had to do it. I'm sure their are thousands, no, millions of people out there who are on the verge of trying to eat cattail fluff. This video could save them a lot of trouble.

[@cagedraptor]

It sure saved me the idea to do it. I'll pass and take your sacrifice to heart and not.

[@zalinahsarpiai73]

I found some wild glizzies