EatTheWeeds: Episode 73: Kudzu

[@aharris2325]

It's actually pretty good. My mom and her boyfriend came over, and they wanted to eat some greens, so I cooked some of the young leaves. They liked it, but they didn't know it was kudzu until we were about halfway through eating it. Haha.

[@reibersue4845]

I bought a property over run with Kudzu and was really overwhelmed with how to get rid of it. It literally covers trees, climbs across utility wires and has pulled down fences. Now I am excited. No one here thinks it is a good thing and everyone I asked said you couldn't eat it. I'm trying to start living more off the land and get away from dependence on the supply chain and supermarkets. I'm really excited to start harvesting this and trying different recipies.

[@amyhoang9140]

Lucky you. If you ever need someone to help consuming them, please let me know :-). I can't find them here in the north...haven't seen them.

[@reibersue4845]

@@amyhoang9140 😊 Never seen it past Virginia.

[@survivalseeker]

Forgot to say how much I enjoy your cooking segments also! I wouldn't have thought about frying the older leaves! Who knows how many lives your informative vids might save someday! Thanks much.

[@Mokeadunni]

My fiance and I have been on a mission to "reclaim" my mom in law's backyard from this plant. Oh my! This stuff in no joke. Its easier to remove in the winter when there isn't any new growth. On the up side, my fiance saved some of the larger and longer vines and he made a hurdle fence out of them. It looks nice.

[@catsheri1]

i tried kudzu raw, it tasted like grass. Then tried it cooked, tasted better than spinach.

[@mrb3135]

PROTEIN. If I remember correctly, kudzu is 26% protein. I've read that it makes good feed for chickens and other animals.

[@writer11248]

This is a wonderful video...informative and entertaining. When I lived in Tennessee we used to speculate about the possible uses for kudzu (auto fuel? pig fodder?), but I had dismissed the idea of it being edible. Little did I know...

[@natureboy6410]

I wish I could get a few starts of kudzu and Japanese knotweed, for food and medicinal use, for my little piece of the northern Mojave desert. It's extremely arid here, so it would be relatively easy to keep it under control.

[@echandler673]

So cool! I'm a new subscriber and am looking to use kudzu specifically as fuel for a biogas digester. Since it grows rampant in GA, where I am at, it's perfect for this task. I don't know if I will eat it, but now that I know you can get starch from the main root ball, then I can use that. Great video👍

[@survivalseeker]

Really liked this video! Not only greatly informative but liked the way you throw in humor!

[@timgentner6910]

your videos are great, lots of great info. I love the humor! the beginning of this video had me cracking up!!

[@justinhicks6816]

me too! haha

[@jayme6189]

The Kudzu plants can also be processed for its cellulose fiber content, to make a biodegradable plastic.

[@carmellapeterson1020]

Thank you for this video! Your comedy is excellent, especially with the historical/political satire, and your utilizations inspiring. Quickly, everybody, eat the weeds!

It is an excellent forage plant, and makes first-class compost.

[@katiesmith8501]

HAHA! You crack me up. Thanks so much for posting all this stuff. I love your channel! I made myself my first weed salad last night. It was awesome. The best thing is that it was free!

[@feralkevin]

I've always been fascinated by Kudzu. It also fixes nitrogen in the soil and provides lots of biomass for compost and mulch. To get around the texture issue, I think I'd try feeding it to the goats or sheep. Of course, we don't have Kudzu here. I'd very much like to see you harvest and eat the root of the plant. What time of year should that be done?

[@1PunchKO100]

It cures alcohol cravings . Grind the roots and use it as a radish or whatever.

[@amandadobbs8609]

I've tried eating kudzu leaves before. I stewed them like collards and they were STILL nasty. My family has been fighting a losing battle with the kudzu behind their house that their neighbor has allowed to run amuck, so I'm trying to figure out ways to USE it if we can't KILL it. So how do you cook them here? (Sorry, but the video quality isn't good enough to tell.) It looks like you boil and drain them, then add them to a saute pan with butter/olive oil, garlic cloves, and maybe some salt and pepper. Is that about right? Are younger leaves preferable to older? About how big/small should the leaves I harvest be? Thanks for the video!

[@ThatCrowGirl]

After viewing your video i was witnessed by a bunch of people harvesting some kudzu by the side of a not-very-used road... I think I shall be forever known as the Crazy-Kudzu-Lady. Anyway, I have found Kudzu blossom tea to be my favorite tea ever, is it possible to dry the blossoms for use later in the year?

[@mynameforever1]

Me: lives in south entire life... Yt: 2020 is a good year for me to eat kudzu

[@BurchTimothy]

I love this, thank you so much. I had no idea this plant was edible, I plan to harvest some tomorrow and try it out. I just joined your channel and am looking forward to learning.

[@civildisorder44]

I love your videos man! I put them on my ipod touch then watch them in the field when I need help identifying a plant Your the man!!!

[@EatTheWeeds]

The roots grows all the time so any time you can get it you can eat it. I favor the mesolith approach even though I do a lot of cooking. I try to figure out how to eat the food without the used of pots and pans. Roasting roots in some fashion usually works well.

[@residentgrey]

if goats love it, then it is a good incentive to reclaim the land using goats. I learned some things on that. Wonderful creations they all are.

[@williammay2332]

On KZbin there is a video of a farmer that has contracted his goats out to clear state parks in NC. Originally with the government's promotion, it was promoted as a forage because animals preferred kudzu to other greens.

[@reibersue4845]

@@williammay2332 I have heard about using goats. I also heard after the goats they use pigs to dig up and eat the roots.

[@kevinthealienfpv]

Immediately subscribed. Your intro was beautifully awkward. And I knew I had found my people.

[@HotaruZoku]

We have more kudzo around here than sky. I can't believe I can eat it. /sub. This is -great- stuff.

[@rbvmtr]

went to Earth Day Saturday , I got to the booth with the good and bad plants in Indiana , the gentlemen asked if I could pitchin and help the cause and I said I am I eating as many of the edible weeds as I can and I'll be sure to get as many people as I can to pitch-in on the free eats too . :-)

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes, you can "can" kudzu, use the procedure for spinach... Kudzu does indeed aim to take over the temperate and tropical world.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Thank you,,,, I'd like to say kudzu is larger than poison ivy but here in Florida poison ivy on trees can grow huge leaves, seven or eight inches long. Poison ivy often has red stems, leaves are often shiny.

[@LeonRFpoa]

Green Deane- have you ever seen the little purple flowers Kudzu makes in the spring? Are those edible as well? I heard the Chinese make a type of food starch and noodles from it. Have you heard anything to such effect?

[@CharlotteFairchild]

Look for "Charlotte Kudzu" for 2 songs about kudzu. "Kudzilla" is my favorite and "Kudzu Covered Land" is a close second.

[@abyssquick]

Kudzu is being advertised as reducing alcohol cravings. $12.00 for a bottle of kudzu root extract. This stuff is everywhere. I used to confuse it with beach pea, but now know better.

[@24bidy]

United States Main article: Kudzu in the United States Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States at the Japanese pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.[19] In the 1930s and 1940s, the vine was rebranded as a way for farmers to stop soil erosion. Workers were paid $8 per acre to sow topsoil with the invasive vine. The cultivation covered over one million acres of kudzu.[30] It is now common along roadsides and other disturbed areas[31] throughout most of the southeastern United States as far north as rural areas of Pulaski County, Illinois. Estimates of its rate of spreading differ wildly; it has been described as spreading at the rate of 150,000 acres (610 km2) annually,[32] although in 2015 the United States Forest Service estimated the rate to be only 2,500 acres per year

[@EatTheWeeds]

I am somewhat south focused, but a lot of my plants on my site are also in Canada. Plus, since I grew up in Maine I also have some plants from there as well.

[@AlexMW-1]

Chinese use it for alcoholism. It's great as a tea and helps you shed water weight, like many plants. Use it in lasagna after sautee

[@BrianShaneRushton]

I'm looking at pictures of kudzu on google images right, it's wild how much it takes over everything.

[@pedalpusher101]

I grew up in Mississippi in the fifties and I was told as a child that a steamer pilot from Mississippi, who was in Japan saw the flower and brought home to his wife and she planted outside and it got away from her. Also there was a story about Kudzu. Little girls should sleep with their windows closed, because late at night. Kudzu would creep across the lawn and sneak through the window and drag them to woods and does what it pleases. Being from the south and a kid it thought of barbecuing.

[@itsturbinetime]

I chowed down on some of the young leaves raw today. My property has about 2 acres of kudzu. I see what you mean about the texture, not too bad though. I want to juice them now. :)

[@grace2garden403]

Great idea! I think I will jump on that train seeing that it is in abundance.

[@The-H-inADHD]

Nice video. I cut some of the thicker vines a long time ago and it is very very soft and easy to cut but it is very strong at the same time. I cut one about 3 foot long and it was about 3 inches in dia. and you can not break it or bust it up it will only sratch up the outside of it.

[@anhtphung4666]

Thanks KZbin Algorithm, I love your few second intro of running

[@rosewood513]

I moved to Tenn. A few years ago just around May. By the middle of June/July as I was traveling I noticed this green stuff had covered everything and I mean it covered everything !!! But it looks stunning with the thick green leaves. But I am afraid to touch it for fear seed would grab hold of my clothing and come home with me. I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. Thanks for the video

[@residentgrey]

Whoever curated the article on this plant on wikipedia had extensive knowledge on its usefulness

[@marquelcherry9075]

Or better yet try using fresh kuduz leaves on a deli style sandwich like a turkey breast or roast beef sandwich instead of lettuce

[@irishninja9857]

What about the Kudzu bugs Megacopta cribraria that smell horrible? Should those parts be avoided? They are quite potent and hard to see when they are young. I gathered the blooms to make a tea and the smell of the bugs where I disturbed them just ruined the aroma of the blooms.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@kakasanti Bio-fuel certainly, as for beer... in theory one could as it is a starch, but Kudu starch has been used to reduce alcoholic cravings, so it might not be a good maerial for beer making.

[@JimTheDruid-db3ok]

Thank you. It grows a mile from me.

[@Flat_Earth_101]

Can the leaves be dried and used as seasoning or smoked?

[@FaithfulPracticalHomesteading]

I'm thinking of trying some in the dehydrator for use in stews later.

[@afringedweller]

Can they be eaten daily, without ill effect? And can it be eaten raw, as a base for salad? Just discovered you, Green Deane. Great stuff!

[@EatTheWeeds]

You could wrap edibles in the older leaves, which can be quite handy.

[@salvatorelivreri]

A climbing vine that is hairy and has leaves of three.... that sounds familiar. If I saw these plants like that, I wouldn’t touch them. Fortunately, here in the US southeast, you can easily find kudzu with blankets everything and will even cover a tree up. It’s like a sea of leaves.

[@stevelau1933]

I tried growing this stuff in my garden last year, but they don't survive the winter in the north

[@EatTheWeeds]

Young and tender is always the rule to follow except, oddly, with agave plants (they get better with age.)

[@jackshubsite]

I feed my rabbits this kudzu. It saves me $$$ plus they love it

[@zerovivid]

Do you know what the best way to tell Kudzu from Poison Ivy? Thanks for the videos, they've helped a lot! =D

[@thefaceofawsomeness491]

I believe the stems can also be used for fiber.

[@BustersRyder]

Eating the stems has the texture of hairy mouse tails

[@CharlotteFairchild]

+BustersRyder How would you know?

[@greendeane1]

I don't eat too many hairy mouse tails.

[@sentry500]

The plant we grew up calling Kudzu has a large single 5 pettle flower, but the website says that the flowers are ½ inch long, purple in long clusters. A google image search shows both types of flowers. Is this type kudzu also, and is it edible?

[@retandom]

i live in upstate south carolina in a town not 2 far away from greenville, our town is overgrown with kudzu, but i never knew it was edible,,,, time to harvest some! do you have any recipes? how long do u cook the leaves ?

[@catsheri1]

I tried young kudzu leaves raw and they taste like grass.

[@pressedearth9492]

The vine that ate the South. This is an amazing plant. I think it may have real potential for soil building and reclamation.

[@ch473]

If you eat kudzu (or the extract like i tried) before drinking, you will get almost twice as drunk on the same amount of booze. I tried it; two beers felt like I had four, and I didn't want to drink anymore. It's a great harm-reduction aid.

[@chronik24]

i live in canada is it possible to find this plant here in canada i would like to get my hands on it ?

[@EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... I didn't know how it would come off....

[@itsno1duh]

Hopefully we can make a dent in the Kudzu crop as we enter the worst of the great depression that is forecast. Plenty of it around me in Atlanta. In the movie "The Plant that Ate the South" they made the statement "you can't keep a fence between cows and Kudzu"!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@RAM4486 Yes, but there is a texture issue.

[@stephrainspirite9985]

love your videos. Do you hold any classes? Where in Fl are you? Im near Clearwater. TY TY

[@EatTheWeeds]

@iworkforme My shirt was out from the split I did. The pants were not open... or you would have seen a great deal more : )

[@theracemixer]

Nice to see you again. Why not juice it ?

[@aharris2325]

I also heard that the really thick big leaves won't digest really well.

[@Oriannubis]

I am down in San Antonio do we have it here I dont think I have seen it.

[@dennyspessoa2792]

Please put captions!!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@chronik24 You might be able to grow it in the summer.

[@fibromamaFFC]

you can grind the older tougher leaves into a flour of sorts.

[@iworkforme]

hmmm. pants were undone on opening of vid? what's up with that?

[@EatTheWeeds]

If that is the case then why hasn't the plant totally disappeared?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@otatsat108 Thanks. I lived in Japan for a couple of years.

[@sf5823]

Grows about 1ft a day, wow that is aggressive. What does it taste like? The government spends about 1/2 a billion a year trying to eliminate it, that's a real problem! Good video 👍

[@sf5823]

7:05, 7:37, 7:50 good for alcoholics then! 😉

[@itsturbinetime]

Can the young leaves be eaten raw ?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@LeonRFpoa Kudzu flowers are edible. Noodles et cetera is made from the root starch.

[@reprkushion]

what about mature leaves for ash bread or other "baking" in a fire pit.

[@Buzatesri]

Another data point is that rabbits are crazy for kudzu and were the staple of two of my 5lb californian rabbits this summer - its gone from a weed in my neigborhood to a valuable resource.

[@fondachac5142]

Hello you know where I can get some kudzu root ?

[@greendeane1]

Depends where you live.

[@herviews]

LOL...Great intro; I expected the vine to wrap itself around your legs and pull you in the underbrush. Be careful out there; dem dere weeds may just eat you.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@iworkforme ... depends upon which muscle....

[@CharlotteFairchild]

Have you ever read kudzu kwestions? How many recipes can be found for the Kudzu Recipes on Google? Noxious is not poisonous. If we have another serious drought or nuclear disaster kudzu is the best survival food.

[@CharlotteFairchild]

Charlotte Fairchild for people who live in places with fresh food needs, like the Antarctic, subarctic as well, growing them indoors would be more efficient than growing lettuce.

[@CharlotteFairchild]

Also if we have chemical warfare or aliens invade. Oh, well, until the wall is built. . . .

[@EatTheWeeds]

@sparklerbombg No, too cold and not enoough light

[@jokertim777]

Great job Green Deane!

[@That.Lady.withtheYarn]

Young leaves can be eaten raw, older leaves cooked, blossoms, tuber... What about the vine? Can that be eaten, or boiled to make broth / tea

[@greendeane1]

All of the kudzu is edible in various ways except the seeds, they are not edible.

[@That.Lady.withtheYarn]

@@greendeane1 sweet

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes and yes... but the texture is a bit rough...

[@hopntobewheatnotatare5314]

At 1:20, I nearly had to pause the video till I quit laughing...funny stuff!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@retandom If you want to know more about kudzu, go to my website.

[@Sherbet360]

can you eat it raw? thanks! awesome videos

[@EatTheWeeds]

@rugger38 No. The ripe seeds are not edible. The pea family has one foot in edibles and one foot in the toxic plants. Being a member of the pea family does not automatically make it edible. In the case of Kudzu unripe pods can be eaten raw or cooked but mature pods and seeds are NOT EDIBLE>

[@doglife2107]

could you recommend me a good north florida field guide brother

[@EatTheWeeds]

Unfortunately, there isn't one. My website is the best in that area.

[@baywyne]

I made a video like this

[@edleyroberts6155]

Is any part of kudzu poison?

[@Micheal-l8q]

Thank God for you

[@EatTheWeeds]

@ThatCrowGirl The blossoms can be dried.. died, one letter different... but fresh is always better.

[@classicalfuel]

I saw what you did there..."I kid you not." :)

[@EatTheWeeds]

Thanks.... I'm recovering from it.....

[@EatTheWeeds]

@logancuz1 No... perhaps a look alike. Knotweed does not grow here. What you are seeing is elderberry.