Kudzu in the Kitchen
A sweet, intoxicating scent wafts on the late-summer breeze as I make my way to the house after doing chores at the barn. It makes me pause, breathe deeply, and smile. This special aroma heralds the arrival of kudzu blossom season!
Kudzu is the common name for Pueraria montana, an invasive vine with thick, tough stems and hairy leaves. It has a habit of being a little too familiar to some folks in the southern United States, where it’s classed as a noxious plant. Originally introduced to this country from Japan to curb soil erosion, kudzu has since been classified as an invasive species. Once it’s established, this nonnative green machine can easily engulf entire trees and turn picturesque hillsides into forbidding jungles.
Widely planted in the Southeast during the first half of the 20th
