"The Vine That Ate The South"

Kudzu......dubbed the vine that ate the south. And rightly so! It's invasive, spreads rapidly at the rate of 60 feet during summer.  If you stand in one spot long enough, I'm sure you would have tendrils climbing your legs. No one, no one in their right mind wants Kudzu growing anywhere near their property, except Cliff. 

Cliff has been talking about planting a patch of Kudzu all summer long and that scares the C-Word outta me. You know why? Because if he sets his mind to do something, you can not talk him out of it. Let's just hope that I'm not too late.  

He wants to make a man-cave out of it. He thinks climbing underneath a thick growth of Kudzu, in the shade, hidden by the outside world would be wonderful. Never mind that the stuff spreads at the rate of 60 feet during summer and will smother anything it grows on. Cliff says there's nothing that can outlive a lawnmower. Lord have mercy, y'all! He's just about crazy enough to do it. Pray for me.

Cliff did some research and found that you can eat Kudzu....the newest, most tender leaves are the best, as are the flowers. You can make jelly from them. And he's been telling me that he's gonna bring some home and that I had to cook it. HaHa!

He did....last weekend. He picked a handful of leaves and brought them home for me to cook. And I did. 

Are you gagging, yet?

I sauteed them in a little bit of bacon drippings and added a tiny bit of salt and pepper. The cooked Kudzu look similar to spinach. (Sorry, I didn't think to get a picture of that part.) 

OMG! Listen y'all.... I was just as surprised as I'm sure you are. But that danged Kudzu was delicious!! It is more delicious than Kale. Now, I'm not sure if it's better than collards, I would have to try it again before I can be so bold as to make that statement. And, I do plan to try it again. Lidia and Sawyer even liked it. I googled some recipes and found that you can make jelly from the blossoms and that they smell like grapes. So Cliff went out and brought home a good handful. It wasn't enough to make jelly, but that was all he could find. Come to find out that Kudzu blooms from July-Sept and it's just a little past peak for the blossoms. You can bet, though, that next year Cliff will be gathering Kudzu blossoms for me to make Kudzu jelly.

However, having discovered all this, I still don't want Kudzu planted in my yard!! Let's hope Cliff uses his good sense and leaves the Kudzu in the woods or on the side of the road. 

~~~~~Laurie~~~~~