Early spring is a great time to forage the young, bamboo like shoots of the Japanese Knotweed featured in this fruit roll up recipe. Knotweed has a Rhubarb like taste and texture and is an excellent standin in recipes calling for Rhubarb stalks. It is an edible, invasive weed and is available in abundance, making it a sustainable foraging ingredient choice.
By boiling the Knotweed down earthy, tart juices are bubble up before thickening to a heavy fruit paste. Apples add a subtle sweetness and ginger gives a lovely kick to these tasty fruit leathers. I use a dehydrator for this recipe and the result is well worth the several hours wait. These knotweed fruit roll ups will last 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container. I like to use parchment paper to roll these into sweet circles and finish with a tie of twine.Â
Make Sure to Forage Knotweed from an unsprayed, clear area. Gather stalks in the early Spring..
Choose short, thick knotweed stalks for your recipes, with leaves still up furled. Once harvested rinse stalks thoroughly and remove the leaves from the top. Do not discard into compost! Knotweed is called highly invasive for a reason and will quickly take root and spread.Â
Japanese Knotweed and Strawberry Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- 1 9 x 9 baking dish
- 1 Hand Mixer
Ingredients
Fruit Mix
- 1 Cup Japanese Knotweed
- 3/4 Cup Fresh Strawberries
- 2 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Cake Batter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Butter Softened at room temperature
- 2 Cups Self Rising Flour
- 2 whole Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees, position rack in center of oven.
Fruit Mix
- Slice Knotweed stalks into uniform rounds, about 1/3 inches in length. Discard tops containing leaves, (do not throw into compost as knotweed is highly invasive and easily takes root). I used about 7-9 small stalks to make a full cup of sliced stalk rounds.
- Slice strawberries into uniform pieces. I prefer quartering the strawberries for this recipe as the batter bakes it pulls the juices from the berry, infusing cake with flavor
- In a medium bowl combine sliced knotweed, strawberries, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved and all ingredients are incorporated.
- Spread evenly over bottom of 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan
Cake Batter
- Place softened butter and sugar into large bowl, whip until mixture becomes a light lemon color, 3 minutes.
- Add Milk and mix well
- Add 2 eggs, and beat slowly until fully incorporated into mixture.
- Slowly pour flour mixing as you go into butter mixture until all ingredients are mixed together, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla extract and mix on low into the batter is uniform in color and smooth.
- Pour batter over fruit in pan, making sure to cover evenly.
- Put baking dish in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow cake to cool and rest, soaking up the fruit juices for 15 minutes before serving with freshly whipped cream, lightly sweetened with honey.