Recipes Utilizing Japanese Knotweed

Applesauce-Knotweed Cake

For this recipe, you’ll need to harvest Japanese Knotweed stalks at the “wild rhubarb” stage, which typically shows up around the end of April in the Boston area.  Look for stalks about 18-24 inches long, select the fattest stalks you can (at least 3/4 inch in diameter – they’re easier to peel that way), cut at ground level, lop off the top cluster of leaves and bring the stalks home.  Once you’ve got them home, peel the very outer layer (which is stringy) off of each stalk; Japanese Knotweed stalks are hollow, though, so don’t peel too deeply or all you’ll have left is the hole.  You can eat the peeled stalks raw if you want (their tart, juicy, crunchy texture and flavor is somewhat like that of a Granny Smith apple), or just chop them up for use in the recipe below or just about any other recipe calling for rhubarb.   3 eggs

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup plain applesauce
• 4 firmly-packed cups peeled Japanese Knotweed stalk pieces (chop or knead the peeled stalks into small pieces <1” long)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease a 13” by 9” baking pan. 

Beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until blended.  In the meantime, mix the flour, baking soda and spices together in a separate bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, then add the applesauce, knotweed pieces and walnuts and mix until blended. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and spread evenly.   Bake at 350ºF for one hour, then remove from the oven and cool on a wire drying rack.  Dust the top with powdered sugar.  Serve warm or cold.  Makes 15 good-sized servings.  Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for use in the next few days or frozen for longer storage.

                                                                                    Cohen, 2008

Go Anywhere Knotweed Squares (Cohen, Janpanese Knotwood Recipes , 2008 )

You’ll need to harvest Japanese Knotweed stalks at the “wild rhubarb” stage for this recipe, which typically shows up around the first week of May in the Boston area.  Look for stalks about 18-24 inches long, select the fattest stalks you can (at least ¾ inch in diameter – they’re easier to peel that way), cut at ground level, lop off the top cluster of leaves and bring the stalks home.  Once you’ve got them home, peel the very outer layer (which is stringy) off of each stalk; Japanese Knotweed stalks are hollow, though, so don’t peel too deeply or all you’ll have left is the hole.  You can eat the peeled stalks raw if you want (their tart, juicy, crunchy texture and flavor is somewhat like that of a Granny Smith apple), or just chop them up for use in the recipe below or just about any other recipe calling for rhubarb.  

Ingredients

For bottom crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup butter (cold)

For filling:

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3 firmly-packed cups peeled Japanese Knotweed stalk pieces (chop or knead the peeled stalks into small pieces <1” long)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease an 11” by 7” by 2” baking pan.  Put crust ingredients into a food processor and pulverize until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press into the bottom of the baking pan and bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes. 

To make the filling, place all the ingredients except the Knotweed into a bowl and mix together; then stir in the Knotweed pieces.  Pour filling mixture over the warm crust and spread evenly.  Bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into it comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into brownie-sized pieces and serve warm.  Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for use in the next few days or frozen for longer storage. 

                                                                                   Kraczewski, 2011

Russ Cohen’s Sour Cream Knotweed Crumb Cake (Cohen, Janpanese Knotwood Recipes , 2008 )

You’ll need to harvest Japanese Knotweed stalks at the “wild rhubarb” stage for this recipe, which typically shows up around the first week of May in the Boston area.  Look for stalks about 18-24 inches long, select the fattest stalks you can (at least ¾ inch in diameter – they’re easier to peel that way), cut at ground level, lop off the top cluster of leaves and bring the stalks home.  Once you’ve got them home, peel the very outer layer (which is stringy) off of each stalk; Japanese Knotweed stalks are hollow, though, so don’t peel too deeply or all you’ll have left is the hole.  You can eat the peeled stalks raw if you want (their tart, juicy, crunchy texture and flavor is somewhat like that of a Granny Smith apple), or just chop them up for use in the recipe below or just about any other recipe calling for rhubarb

Ingredients (For Cake)

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dairy sour cream
• 5 firmly-packed cups peeled Japanese Knotweed stalk pieces (chop or knead the peeled stalks into small pieces <1” long), tossed with 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice in a bowl

For topping:

• 1/2 firmly-packed cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut up into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease a 13” by 9” baking pan. 

Cake: Beat sugar and butter in a in a large bowl on medium speed until blended.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then add to the creamed mixture alternatively with the sour cream, mixing well.  Stir in the floured/spiced Knotweed pieces and mix well, then pour the cake batter into the baking pan and spread evenly.  

 Topping: Place brown sugar, flour and spices into a food processor and pulse until well-blended; then add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the entire topping mixture is uniformly crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. 

Bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack; serve warm.  Makes 15 good-sized servings.  Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for use in the next few days or frozen for longer storage

Cohen, R. (2008 , September 5). Janpanese Knotwood Recipes . New England Wild Flower Society . http://www.newfs.org/protect/invasive-plants/specific-invasive-plants/japanese-knotweed-recipes.html/.

Cohen, R. (2011, March 15). Sanctuary Magazine: Eat Your Invasives . Mass Audubon . http://www.massaudubon.org/sanctuary/features.php?id=94.