swamp gold

as most of you know, we live on a small lake in minnesota. between our home and the water is about 100 meters of cattails. every early summer, for one very brief week, the cattails flower and release an edible golden pollen. unfortunately, this pollen disperses quickly once it forms–the slightest breeze or rain will wash the pollen away before you even knew it had arrived. i have yet to collect our cattail pollen, but when i do, the first thing i want to try is making the golden pancakes below:

Cattail Pollen Pancakes

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sifted cattail pollen
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk

cattails in pollen season