Our property is overrun with kudzu. No matter how much we clear it back it doesn't seem to make a difference for long. We even bought a goat to help us keep it cleared out but even he couldn't keep up.
Here is a picture of HOW MUCH kudzu I am talking about!
It turns out that kudzu is edible and it has a multitude of uses. The leaves, flowers, roots, and vine tips are all edible. The flowers can be used to make a grape/bubble gum flavored jelly. It is a invasive species that was introduced from Japan in 1876 but was cultivated on a wide scale in the 1920s and 1930s in the USA as a way to reduce erosion and provide feed for goats and other foraging livestock on land with limited resources.
They can be eaten raw, cooked like collard greens, deep fried, or baked into quiches or casseroles. The kudzu root has been used to treat alcoholism since around 600 A.D. and is still used today to treat alcoholism and hangover and is used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Modern science has confirmed that kudzu contains a chemical puerarin which early studies show can be beneficial in treating a variety of diseases. It is thought to help reduce "bad" cholesterol and reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
It is pretty easy to identify and grows at a rapid pace. It is said to grow up to a foot a day during the summer. The vines can also be used to make baskets and cordage. Small young vines can be weaved into baskets and larger vines can be stripped down the length of the vine and the strips can then be weaved into cordage/rope.
Please comment with any other uses you might have for kudzu. It seems that kudzu has a multitude of uses and it is abundant in many parts of the USA. Keep an eye out around you for all of nature's bounty it is amazing the amount of food that is all around us. Our grandparents and great grandparents knew what wild plants they could forage and how to survive. I think unless we learn as much of this knowledge as we can while we can it could be lost to us. Please POSITIVELY identify any plants before consuming them and do not eat plants near roadways.
All pictures are original and taken by me. Here's some proof. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts. I plan on making a series on wild edibles that are in my neighborhood. Also watch out for @heatherlg89 too that's my wife and she plans to start a contest where you can win a prize for being first person to identify an edible plant! Some of the plants I will be mentioning might be in the contest!