Japanese Knotweed-Reynoutria japonica

Japanese Knotweed is thought to have been brought over by the Victorians as an ornamental garden plant. This plant is impossible to get rid of and I suggest that you eat it instead of trying to kill it. Its roots can grow up to 15 feet deep and it is illegal to propagate in most states. When you harvest this plant you must make sure that all excess fragments of root and stem are well and truly dead (leave them on a large stone surface in the sun for several days until they are very dry) as this plant can regenerate from the smallest fragment. 

That being said, this incredibly invasive plant is highly medicinal and quite a tasty edible. The roots when harvested at the right time have more antioxidants than red wine and can be made into a tincture. The young stalks are a sweet/savory vegetable that tastes like rhubarb adjacent. Some people think it has a bitter taste. I personally think of it as a sour celery. 

It can be sauteed plainly and garnished with butter and apple cider vinegar for a different vegetable option. It can be boiled down to form a cocktail syrup and a “preserve.” The cocktail addition is either sweet or tart based on how much sugar you add. The preserve is a pea soup green color that tastes rather like a strawberry rhubarb pie filling if you add just enough sugar. 

This plant can be frozen, for use throughout the year as it is only palatable in the mid to late spring. Once the weather gets hot the plant becomes too woody and tough to eat. The leaves of the plant are not edible and should be removed. The stems of the plant are the edible part. You can tell if they are still edible by trying to snap the plant. If it makes a nice hollow popping sound and breaks easily it is still edible. If it is tough it is not. 

This plant can be identified in several ways. It is typically found growing in or next to water or a very wet patch of soil. The segmented stems are hollow when young and have red spots as though they were splashed with red paint. The plants grow in large clumps or stands and can get quite tall. White fuzzy looking flowers appear toward the end of summer.

Japanese Knotweed and Strawberry Pie

I have adapted this from my strawberry Rhubarb pie recipe. Fresh Japanese knotweed can be used but will have to be blanched first; before it is squeezed out. 

Filling

4 c Japanese Knotweed, frozen and thawed and squeezed out.

2 containers of strawberries, washed hulled and quartered

¼ instant tapioca/cassava flour

⅔ cup of sugar

2tbs of butter 

These are flavor enhancers and can be omitted. 

⅛-¼ tsp Basil fresh or dried 

¼-½ tsp Orange zest

1 Tbsp Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

½ -1 tsp Fresh ginger

Crust

3c of All purpose flour 

3 sticks of unsalted butter cut into tablespoons

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Very,very cold water

Begin by getting to large bowls, one bowl will be for the crust and one for the filling. Mix the filling first so that the flavors have time to marry. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the thawed Japanese Knotweed. Save this liquid and reduce it over a low flame until only a few tbs remain; cool and add to the filling bowl. Add the squeezed out Japanese Knotweed and the hulled and quartered strawberries to the filling bowl. Add the sugar, tapioca and flavor enhancers. Mix gently with a large spoon until well mixed. Allow to rest at room temperature until the pie is ready to be filled and baked. 

In the other large bowl, prepare the pastry for the crust. Add the 3 cups of flour and the butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry blender. A food processor can also be used. Once the butter is no longer visible add the salt and sugar. Then begin to add the water gradually. Add only enough water for the pastry to come together in a cohesive mass. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. 

Let the pastry chill for at least 30 mins in the fridge, longer if it is a warm day. Divide dough in half. Roll out ½ the chilled dough on a very well floured counter with a well floured rolling pin. Line the pie plate. Fill the pie plate with the filling and then roll out the other half of the dough for the top crust of the pie. Dot the filing with 2 tbs of butter before putting on the top crust. Bake the pie at 400-425 for about 1½ hours or until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles up onto the top crust, through one of the steam holes. 

Things to take note of:

-I use a 10 inch pie plate

-Egg washing the top of the pie makes it look much better but will not affect the taste.

-If you cover a pizza pan with foil and place the pie on top, it is much easier to get in and out of the oven; this also makes clean-up easier if the filling bubbles up out of the dish.  

-I usually make a foil collar for the pie to prevent the crimped edges from burning

-This pie is best served a little warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.