Cooking With Kudzu

[Eleanor Rose]

Kudzu growing in the wild.
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Well now I've heard everything! Folks are cooking with kudzu. Yes, that's right. They're cooking with the weeds covering old buildings and hills and growing all over the side of the road. Apparently if you choose to cook with Kudzu, you should choose only the smallest, most tender leaves that are free of discolorations and critter bites. If picked fresh and tender, the leaves supposedly have a flavor similar to that of green beans.

I haven't tried this and don't plan to, but here's a recipe I came across today in case anyone wants to give it a try. If you do cook some kudzu, please post about it!

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Kudzu Quiche

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped, young, tender Kudzu leaves and stems
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 nine-inch unbaked pie shell


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream, eggs, kudzu, salt, pepper, and cheese.

Place in pie shell.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until center is set.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

According to Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em!, kudzu's delicate purple flowers have a fragrance similar to grapes and can be used to make kudzu jelly. They recommend you spoon the jelly over cream cheese or melt and serve it over waffles and ice cream.

Kudzu Blossom Jelly

Ingredients:
4 cups kudzu blossoms
4 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 ¾ oz package of powdered fruit pectin
5 cups sugar

Directions:
Wash kudzu with cold water.

Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Pour 4 cups boiling water over the blossoms and refrigerate overnight (or 8 hours). Note that the blossom liquid is gray until lemon juice is added.

Strain the resulting liquid through a colander into a Dutch oven, discard blooms.

Add lemon juice and pectin and then bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in sugar and return to a full boil and stir constantly for one minute.

Remove from heat and skim away foam with spoon. Quickly pour jelly into hot, sterilized jars, filling to ¼ inch from top. Wipe jar rims and cover with metal lids and bands. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Cool jars on wire racks.

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[Eleanor Rose]

Kudzu Tea

Ingredients:
1 cup Kudzu leaves - finely chopped
Mint
Honey

Directions:
Simmer the chopped kudzu in a quart of water for 30 minutes.

Drain and serve with honey and a sprig of mint. If you prefer a sweeter taste use honey to sweeten the tea.


Source: Southern Angel

 

[nitrofd]

I don't know about this and care not too.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

I don't know about this and care not too.

Exactly!

 

[donna]

Interesting. Never heard of this.

 

[johan_steele]

I don't believe Kudzu was here yet at the time of the ACW.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

I don't believe Kudzu was here yet at the time of the ACW.

That's true. I think it showed up in the states around 1930.

 

[UCVRelics]

My Grand Pappy planted it on land that had erosion back in the 40's. When I was a kid we would ride the ranch and he would say "I wish I had never planted it" it had taken over a lot of land over 20 years. He told when you plant it you better run like H^LL.

 

[diane]

The jelly looked interesting! I know there are a number of things one can eat that don't seem appetizing and might even be poisonous (acorns are if you don't leech them) but I believe I'll wait for a guinea pig first!

 

[Deleted User CS]

Ellie. I can sum up my feelings about kudzu in one word: YUK!!!! David.

 

[donna]

Kudzu was introduced into U.S. in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was introduced to Southeast U.S. in 1883 at New Orleans Exposition.

It has grown like wildfire and is very destructive. It is one of those plants that should have never been brought to U.S.

 

[redbob]

Kudzu was introduced into U.S. in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was introduced to Southeast U.S. in 1883 at New Orleans Exposition.

It has grown like wildfire and is very destructive. It is one of those plants that should have never been brought to U.S.

Since you mentioned wildfire, I can tell you from experience that once the plant has died back from a freeze; it will burn like gasoline and with any kind of a breeze, it will burn so fast that a person can't outrun it.

 

[Jimklag]

When we lived in Atlanta, this was a fairly common picture.

 

[redbob]

When we lived in Atlanta, this was a fairly common picture.
View attachment 214199

I believe that an Atlanta newspaper's motto was Covering Dixie Like the Dew, I always thought that a more appropriate motto would be Covering Dixie Like the Kudzu.

 

[diane]

When we lived in Atlanta, this was a fairly common picture.
View attachment 214199

That's like Marlahan mustard around here - or, woad is me! It's a mutation from another type of mustard and will just take the place. Since there's been a decline of ranching around here, there are vast fields of it and it has no known uses. At least you can eat kudzu! (I think...) The Marlahans - old ranching family - are not happy to have this pest named after them...but it was first found on their ranch!

 

[Ole Miss]

By far the best way to serve Kudzu is to a drove of goats! They love the stuff and will eat their way to shores of the Gulf of Mexico!!!
Regards
David

 

[mofederal]

I don't think I'll be eating much of it in the future, I sounds nasty. We had some trouble eradicating it on the farm. I don't think I'll be eating any of it. Just because you can eat it doesn't mean it's worth eating. I'll pass on it. Too many good things out in the world to eat and cook, like anything else.