Broadleaf Arrowhead, or Sagittaria latifolia is a shallow wetland plant that can be found all over the globe. Broadleaf arrowhead produces green leaves which are edible, best when they are young and still curled, and more importantly an edible tuber. Even with nothing else available this plant offers enough nutrition, and can usually be found in such numbers, that it alone could keep you alive for and exte
nded time.
- The leaves are available during the entire growing season but are best in the early spring while they are still curled.
- In summer they will produce an edible bud above the water’s surface. Both the leaves and the buds are best when cooked though they can be eaten raw.
- The real benefits come in fall when the tuber is mature. The tubers grow to about the size of a ping pong ball. They are nearly 20% carbohydrate, 5% protein, and less than 1% fat. They are rich in iron and vitamin B, and a good source of other nutrients. They do grow in water so you will need to wet to harvest them but it shouldn’t be too hard if they are mature. If you have a sturdy stick you and dig them out, they float once they have been unearthed, and may even come to the surface on their own when they are mature.
- The tubers have a bitter citrus-like taste when raw, but a nutty taste when cooked.
- They can be ground into a flour or eaten whole.
Given that broadleaf arrowhead is energy-packed, nutrient rich, yields food all year, and grows in large groups in shallow water all over the world, you should always been on the look-out for it when in the wilderness, especially in the early fall when it’s tubers are mature and you can enjoy the full benefits of this awesome wild edible.
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