First off and up front: I am NOT advocating for growing Japanese Knotweed. It is an EXTREMELY invasive species in the American Northeast where I live.
Also, this post is made with the permission of my coven-mate Dora who has been harvesting and eating the Knotweed growing wild in her backyard as a way to try to mitigate its spread. Many of the words and images are hers – let’s call her the “Guest Writer” of this post.
Dora writes:
Japanese Knotweed is an aggressive invasive species. It is illegal to transport and propagate in most places. (Do not put the scraps into your compost heap or in any way help it to spread. It will root from any part of the plant, and will be extremely difficult to eradicate once established). Most roadside management plans involve trying to kill/control it with herbicide, so I wouldn’t recommend eating it from the roadside or area that was likely treated with herbicide.
I have a big patch in my yard that I have been watching grow for many years. It is a bit concerning – it is taking over and aggressively getting bigger each year. I looked into ways I could combat its spread in my local environment and happened to come across the information that the stalks are edible and even fairly tasty. I don’t think eating the leaves raw (or possibly at all?) is a good idea, from my limited research. The stalks have a satisfying snap and taste a bit like rhubarb with a woody/ earthy/ beet undertone and are fine to eat raw or cooked. While eating it won’t eradicate it, it is at least making it useful.
I did a bit of research on the magical properties of Knotweed. It’s hard to find much about it online but I did see a bunch of sources linking it to the planet Mars. On the other hand, Scott Cunningham links it with feminine energy, the planet of Saturn, and the element of Earth. He says that it can be used in binding magic which makes some sense given its name.
I also saw some evidence of its uses medicinally though cannot back them up and am hesitant to share them. Do your own research if you have knotweed and are curious about its medicinal applications.
Dora writes:
The thick new-growing stalks (1ft or less) with significant diameter (the skinny ones are woodier) seem to have a more desirable texture, although I found that even the taller or skinnier stalks still have a pleasant flavor and were fine for making cocktail syrup, as you strain out the pulp that gets a bit woody/ stringy with age and development.
Dora says:
To make cocktail syrup, I simply took a bunch of the new stalks and removed the leaves and soaked them/ rinsed them thoroughly in water. I chopped them up into bits (a bit smaller than the above photo) and boiled them. Using the wisdom of how to make a typical cocktail syrup, I recommend using enough water to partially cover the knotweed in your saucepan, and keeping to a ratio of 1:1 water:sugar to make a standard “cocktail” syrup. I can say it holds up well to less sugar, but would be more perishable with less sugar, and last longer in the fridge with more sugar.
My edit: Dora made a simple syrup here. I personally prefer to make a complex syrup which is 1 part water / 2 parts sugar because it lasts substantially longer. I just don’t use syrup often enough to justify making some and having it immediately go bad in my fridge.
Let the knotweed boil for about 10 minutes (long enough to turn soft/mushy and for the red color to leave the stalks and become part of the liquid. Then strain out the knotweed solids, return to a boil, and add the sugar stirring until dissolved. Turn off the heat and let it cool once the sugar is dissolved.
An entertaining happenstance is that the sticky sap/ pulp of the plant acts in a cocktail shaker much like an egg white when shaken in the cocktail shaker, imparting a desirable mouth feel and foamy top (much like egg white).
We were pretty into this because it creates a foamy egg white like consistency in a cocktail without using egg which is great for our vegan friends.
And now for the fun part: Knotweed Cocktails!
Dora fed me two:
Knotweed “Manhattan”
1 part knotweed syrup
1 part Whiskey or Rye
Stir over ice and strain (you could shake it for foam if desired)
Garnish with small raw shoots of knotweed (but continue to ensure even these unassuming little bits do not find a new place to root). Peeling the larger stalks makes them more palatable. If the right diameter & length, they entertainingly function as straws.
(not pictured)
Vodka-Knotweed Fizz
1 part knotweed syrup
1 part lime or lemon juice
2 parts vodka
Shake the above like the dickens with ice in a shaker, and then pour the entire shaker contents (ice and all) into your glass, and top with sparkling water.
(pictured below)
I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial on how to use the knotweed that you (hopefully don’t) have in your backyard. Please remember to properly dispose of any leftover pieces from this recipe – ie – don’t put it in your compost or you’ll be growing more knotweed in no time.